Taylor Barnard has finally secured his Formula E future by signing with newcomer Fortescue Zero Racing for the start of the Gen4 era in the 2026-27 campaign.
The 22-year-old was without a drive after two-and-a-half seasons in the all-electric series, starting with McLaren before contesting the 2025-26 campaign with DS Penske.
But with DS Automobiles pulling out before its partner Penske was acquired by Fortescue, Barnard was left without a team, yet his intention was always to remain in Formula E.
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Fortescue Zero purchases Team Penske for Formula E's Gen4 eraThe Briton confirmed as much to Motorsport.com at last season’s London finale, but in a rather straightforward move, he has become Fortescue’s first signing ahead of testing in November.
“I’m incredibly excited to join Fortescue Zero Racing and be part of building something from the ground up,” said Barnard.
“This is a new team with a huge amount of ambition and I want to help turn that ambition into results on the track.
“Fortescue Zero has a strong history of developing high-performance electric technology, and I’m looking forward to working with the team and helping push that technology further and faster than ever before.
“We know there is a lot of hard work ahead, but that is exactly what makes this opportunity so exciting. I can’t wait to get started.”
Taylor Barnard, DS Penske
Photo by: Malcolm Griffiths / LAT Images via Getty Images
Barnard ended his disappointing time in Formula 2 early to join Formula E, where he impressed instantly by finishing fourth for McLaren in his first full campaign with five podiums.
But the British marque left the championship at the end of that year and so Barnard joined DS Penske, where he endured a tough sophomore campaign with no podium in the opening 16 races.
Yet he ended last season on a perfect high by winning the dramatic London finale, meaning Barnard became Formula E’s youngest victor - which he labelled as his career highlight.
“Taylor is exactly the kind of driver a new team wants to build around,” said Fortescue Zero boss Jim Wright, whose squad will use a Jaguar powertrain.
“He has already shown that he has the speed, discipline and race-craft to compete at the front of Formula E.
“Barnard is young, hungry and has a huge amount of potential. Just as importantly, he understands how to work with engineers and extract every bit of performance and efficiency from the car.
“We are building a new team with serious ambitions. Taylor is the first piece of that picture and we are excited to see what we can achieve together.”
Following testing in Jarama, the 2026-27 campaign is due to start in Jeddah this December - provided the ongoing Middle East conflict doesn’t prevent that - and finish at Tokyo in July.