Barnard defends P2 with all his might against Hughes: "Sometimes you have to be extra aggressive"

Third place on Friday, second place on Saturday - what a weekend in Jeddah for Taylor Barnard! After the McLaren driver initially became the youngest pole-sitter in Formula E history, he also showed his class in the race. In particular, his spirited defence against Jake Hughes shortly before the end earned him second place - and the respect of his direct opponent.

Barnard was in second place after a strong race with great overtakes when Hughes in Attack Mode came up behind him shortly before the end of the race. The Maserati driver still had quite some time with extra power left and it seemed only a matter of time before he would overtake Barnard. However, the McLaren driver positioned himself cleverly and held his ground.

At the end of the start and finish straight, Hughes attacked as expected, but once again Barnard stayed on the inside lane and braked as late as he could. Both drove side by side into the chicane, then Hughes had to give way, cut the corner combination and slow down to avoid gaining an advantage. Although he stayed close behind Barnard, his Attack Mode then expired - the preliminary decision in the battle for second place in Barnard's favour!

The battle for P2 between Taylor Barnard and @JakeHughesRace 😮‍💨#JeddahEPrix pic.twitter.com/CazTfGWEJk

— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) February 15, 2025

The stewards judged the scene to be in accordance with the rules, even though Barnard really put his elbows out. "Yes, he did," confirmed Hughes. "I had the feeling it was a bit on the edge - at least the one in turn 1." Nevertheless, he pays tribute to his compatriot: "He defended himself very well."

Barnard: "You just have to do what has to be done"

"Sometimes you have to be extra aggressive", Barnard admits, but without regretting his manoeuvre in any way. "You have to do that to defend the podium or second place. Yes...", he pauses briefly, "... sometimes you just have to do what has to be done."

The 20-year-old's determination is impressive. Especially as he actually wanted more: "I was struggling a bit with the energy. I started from pole position and struggled straight away. We took 4+4 minutes Attack Mode and Oli (Rowland) had 2+6. That's where we potentially lost it (the race)."

BARNARD ON THE CHARGE 🙌

Can the youngest @juliusbaer Pole sitter claim his first win? #JeddahEPrix pic.twitter.com/gZmhBiPJSU

— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) February 15, 2025

"But I can't be disappointed after two podiums - I'm just super happy," Barnard summarises an outstanding Jeddah E-Prix, in which he took over second place in the world championship standings with a total of 36 points. "Coming into the weekend I wasn't expecting a podium. Now to leave with a massive amount of points for my team and for myself - I couldn't be happier right now."

Rival Hughes in third place is also "super happy with today. After missing FP3 almost completely, I made it into the duels (in qualifying) and into the semi-finals. And then to get my first podium for this team - I couldn't have wished for more", says the Briton.