Taylor Barnard Becomes Youngest-Ever Formula E Polesitter in Jeddah

NEOM McLaren’s Taylor Barnard has made history in Formula E by securing his first Julius Baer Pole Position. At just 20 years old, he is the youngest driver ever to achieve this feat in the championship’s 11-year history. This impressive achievement follows his second podium finish of the season yesterday, making it a stellar weekend for the young British rookie in Jeddah.

Jeddah E-Prix Round 4 Qualifying

Twenty-year-old Taylor Barnard achieved the historic pole position in the Formula E Duels, comfortably defeating his former mentor, Oliver Rowland (Nissan), by over four tenths of a second with a stunning lap. This victory makes Barnard the youngest pole sitter in the series’ history, surpassing the previous record held by Daniel Abt (22 years and four months) from the 2015 Long Beach E-Prix.

The qualifying session was full of surprises. Neither of the Jaguar TCS Racing cars made it to the Duels, and only Antonio Felix da Costa managed to get his TAG Heuer Porsche-powered car into the top eight. Nissan power shone through, securing the entire front row with their factory team and customer McLaren. Maserati MSG Racing also had a strong showing, with both Stoffel Vandoorne and Jake Hughes starting from the second row.

The Final

The final Duel saw a student-mentor battle, with Rowland facing his former karting protégé, Barnard. Barnard’s exceptional performance earned him pole position by over four tenths, cementing his place in Formula E history as the youngest driver ever to achieve this feat.

Taylor Barnard began the session top of Group B with a time of 1m16.922s for NEOM McLaren. Jake Hughes made back-to-back Duels to join his teammate in the next stage of qualifying, with Mortara managing to finish third behind him. It was a welcomed result for the team after the Swiss-Italian started from the back of the grid.

Image Credit Formula E