Taylor Barnard aims for Formula E title after Penske switch: "Want to be fighting for the championship"

After the end of the McLaren team, Taylor Barnard is out ahead of the FormulaE season 2025/26 has moved to DS Penske, where he replaces two-time champion Jean-Eric Vergne. Together with the Papaya team, he was the big surprise in the first Gen3 Evo season. With his new team, he is hoping to build on his strong form from the previous season.

In his first season as a regular driver in Formula E, Taylor Barnard has certainly impressed: Two pole positions, five podium finishes and 112 championship points meant 4th place in the end for the young Brit. e-Formula.news had the opportunity to speak exclusively with Barnard.

Taylor, your second season as a regular driver in Formula E is coming up. One big difference: you switched from McLaren to DS Penske. How did the preparation in black go with your new team?

It's been pretty good so far. Obviously, I have not only worked with the team during the pre-season tests, but also done some work in the simulator. The first day in Valencia was not going to plan: we had a mechanical failure on the car, which made us lose a set of tyres and quite a lot of time. So that wasn't so good. On the other days, I was very happy with the progressions that we have made and the steps we made. The first days in black have gone very well.

"Lots to get used to"

You have some experience with the Gen3 Evo, but with a different powertrain. How difficult is it to adapt to the different settings, the different systems and all the other things that are not what you've been used to over the last two years at McLaren?

It's quite difficult. The way the systems work, the way you interact with them as a driver, the way you maximize them to get lap time on the track is really different and quite difficult to adapt. The car setup and everything else is completely different. So lots to get used to.

Which of these was the biggest change for you?

Probably the systems. Yes, the systems on the car are very different.

You have a new team-mate in Max Günther. How did the first few weeks of working with him go?

Very good. I think Max is a super cool guy, a really nice guy. We've been working closely together for a coupe of weeks now. I think our teamwork is getting along great. I think we're going to be good teammates for the future.

You previously had a very, very experienced team-mate in Sam Bird. Now it's Max, who is also very experienced, but a completely different person. Can you compare the two?

Not really. The experiences that they had in the past are very different. For me, that's good because I can of course take away different points from their past. Both are obviously very experienced, very good drivers, they both won many races, so I think they are both good teammates for me.

In your first full Formula E season, you achieved some really good results, including podiums and pole positions. What's the goal for next season with DS Penske?

I think a race win has to be the first target, for sure. That's the only thing I missed last year. I think it's achievable. The team had two wins with Max last season.

Of course, some other podium finishes, that will be my target. And ultimately, I want to be fighting for the championship. That's why we're here. I was quite close last season. I finished fourth, but I was fighting quite early on. So I hope I can do it again.

Thank you very much for the interview