Whereas its Formulation 1 workforce was incomes its first constructors’ title in 26 years final weekend, McLaren’s Formulation E arm was celebrating a landmark end result which put it on high of the groups’ standings of the all-electric sequence for the primary time. Not since Mercedes — whose operation was coincidentally absorbed by NEOM McLaren following its exit — in 2021 has the identical model topped each championships on the identical time.
Central to McLaren’s current Formulation E success has been rookie sensation Taylor Barnard. Having turn out to be the class’s youngest factors scorer throughout his three-race cameo instead of Sam Chicken final season, the 20-year-old British driver grew to become the youngest podium finisher when he completed third in final Saturday’s season opener.
“Completely not,” Barnard mentioned when requested if he anticipated to be standing on the rostrum on the finish of the Sao Paulo E-Prix. “I feel that’s fairly apparent.”
Taylor Barnard may hardly imagine what was occurring as he ready to climb onto the rostrum in Sao Paulo. Simon Galloway/Motorsport Photos
Barnard spent the primary a part of the race languishing in the back of the again, one thing that was compounded by a drive-through penalty for an overuse of vitality — one thing that additionally caught out teammate Chicken — however which finally introduced each again into rivalry because it allowed them to save lots of vitality which might turn out to be essential throughout two purple flag restarts later within the race.
“From my facet, from the workforce’s facet, it was an incredible execution on the finish of the race,” he mentioned. “The second assault was finished completely to assist us propel up the order. Actually, it’s superb.”
Within the closing moments of the race, Barnard was respiration down the necks of eventual race winner Mitch Evans and Antonio Felix da Costa. He says temperature and a lower in tire grip prevented him from advancing additional, whereas Chicken held station in fourth to make sure McLaren its greatest workforce lead to its quick Formulation E historical past.
It was indicative of the pair’s relationship. Removed from the boiling-over stress that we finally got here to see with the skilled Fernando Alonso and rookie Lewis Hamilton in McLaren’s 2007 F1 marketing campaign, Formulation E elder statesman Chicken has served as one thing of a mentor to Barnard ever since he stepped in for the veteran eventually season’s Monaco and Berlin races after Chicken was dominated out via harm.
“Sam clearly had his unlucky incident final yr, and after I stepped in for him there, he was extraordinarily supportive and useful to attempt to get me up to the mark, and it’s been precisely the identical in my transition as a full-time race driver,” mentioned Barnard. “He’s been so useful. Clearly, he’s probably the most skilled drivers on this grid, so to have his assist and him by my facet as a teammate, it’s been superb.”
Barnard feels the cooperative ambiance bolstering the entire NEOM McLaren effort.
“The workforce do an incredible job at establishing this correct household setting, which makes it very comfy for a younger driver, to help a brand new driver coming into the workforce and that can flourish,” he mentioned. “And for him to defend my podium on the finish and to egg me on, I feel it proves the form of relationship now we have and what mentality now we have within the workforce.”
Requested about Barnard’s breakthrough, Chicken instructed RACER, “I’m thrilled for him. He’s finished an incredible job. Clearly it was a loopy race, and we needed to have a little bit of a loopy technique due to the loopy race for us. Loads of stuff was going flawed, after which impulsively it fell in our lap.
“I used to be feeling fairly good. I felt like I may have gone on the offensive to Mitch and Antonio. Nevertheless it’s his fourth race, first race of the yr. He’s combating two of essentially the most skilled guys in Formulation E — Mitch has had 13 wins, I’ve had 12, Antonio’s about 10. Round him, sandwiching him, there’s nearly 40 race wins. So it’s not shocking that he simply bought, ‘Simply keep there, get a podium, stay to battle one other day.’ He did the best factor.
Regardless of the workforce’s sturdy lead to Sao Paulo, Chicken says NEOM McLaren stays a piece in progress.
“We’ve nonetheless bought plenty of studying to do,” he mentioned. “Operationally, I feel we dealt with the race weekend very effectively, however there’s some issues that we have to enhance and tighten up if we need to proceed to attain these sorts of factors.
“I feel everyone will probably be saying the identical factor: First race of a brand new period of the GEN3 (Evo) automobile and clearly after every race, each workforce will go away and get plus factors, after which you’ve your negatives. We’ve bought a giant record of issues that we are able to enhance on.”
Whereas gleeful at his personal achievement, Barnard shared his teammate’s outlook.
“We should always positively rejoice and revel in however now we have plenty of work to do,” he mentioned. “Qualifying tempo was not nice, however Nissan was very sturdy, so it’s a very good benchmark for us, a very good reference level. We all know the powertrain is robust, we simply have to execute correctly.”
