Official: Formula E high-flyer Taylor Barnard joins DS Penske & becomes team-mate of Max Günther

Taylor Barnard will compete in Formula E for DS Penske in the coming season. DS Penske made the announcement in a press release on Monday morning. The young Briton, who set various Formula E records in the service of McLaren, will therefore be Maximilian Günther's team-mate. Jean-Eric Vergne, on the other hand, will leave the team after three years and a total of eight seasons with DS Automobiles.

"I'm delighted to join DS Penske for season 12," said Barnard. "The team has solid experience in Formula E and I can't wait to get working alongside Max to go after some top results! Formula E is a unique competition; I feel ready now to continue on this trajectory I've started and fight at the front!"

🚨NEW DRIVER ALERT!🚨
DS PENSKE is thrilled to announce that Taylor Barnard will be joining us as our new driver for Season 12! The journey ahead just got even more exciting. ⚡️😎#DSPENSKE#dsperformance#abbformulae #motorsport #formulae pic.twitter.com/vVwQK8dhdX

— DS PENSKE FORMULA E TEAM (@ds_penske_fe) September 15, 2025

Barnard made his Formula E debut at the 2024 Monaco E-Prix after McLaren regular driver Sam Bird injured his hand in an accident. Substitute driver Barnard also drove for the team at the Berlin E-Prix, scoring his first points with 10th place in Saturday's race. In the following 2024-25 season, he became a regular driver alongside Bird. With five podium finishes, he ended the season in fourth place in the overall standings with 112 points. He scored a total of 117 championship points in his 19 races for the team.

During his time at McLaren, the Brit set several Formula E records: He became the youngest starter in the racing series in Monaco 2024 and the youngest points winner shortly afterwards in Berlin. At the Sao Paulo E-Prix in December 2024, he was the youngest driver on the podium, in Jeddah he first became the youngest pole-setter in the electric racing series and then in the following race the youngest driver ever to lead an E-Prix.

The record for the youngest race winner is still held by his new team-mate Max Günther, who won the Santiago E-Prix in 2020 at the age of 22 years and 200 days. With a victory in his first season for DS Penske, Barnard could also secure this record.

Franzetti: "Youth, talent & motivation are essential qualities"

"We are delighted to welcome Formula E's young prodigy into our team," says Eugenio Franzetti, Director of DS Performance. "His youth, talent, and motivation will be essential qualities to help him bag some podiums and get in among the leaders of this new season that's about to begin. I'm sure that he'll form a great team with Max and be able to get the very most out of our car."

"At the same time, I would like to thank Formula E's only double champion, with whom it has been an absolute pleasure to work throughout eight seasons," continues Franzetti. "Jean-Eric's knowledge and commitment have made a huge contribution to everything that we have achieved as a brand. This incredibly productive collaboration between JEV and DS Automobiles is sure to write an important chapter in the history of Formula E."

"I am excited to enter my second season as a DS Penske driver," says Max Günther. "There were plenty of highlights in our first season together, which was characterised by quality and strong performances. Now I'm very much looking forward to building on this base in our second season. Having Taylor as my new teammate is fantastic; he is a brilliant driver and a great addition to our team. There's an incredible spirit running through the whole team and I can't wait to get the new season started!"

But it will still be a while before then: The first round of the 2025-26 Formula E World Championship season will take place in Sao Paulo on 6 December. Before that, the official pre-season tests will be held in Valencia from 27 to 31 October.