History has a funny way of falling into place when you least expect it. Heading into the final race weekend of the 2025/26 season, DS PENSKE's Taylor Barnard already owned an impressive collection of youth records in the category as the youngest driver to start a Formula E race, the youngest pole sitter, and the youngest driver to claim a podium. But one massive piece was missing from the puzzle: becoming the youngest race winner.
Now, at 22 years and 76 days old, the British-born driver has claimed that final prize, taking the record from none other than his DS PENSKE teammate Maximilian Gunther, who previously held it from his win at the 2020 Santiago E-Prix at 22 years and 200 days old. It has been a wild 2025/26 campaign for Barnard, who joined the French squad at the start of the season following NEOM McLaren's exit from the championship. Despite showing raw pace and moments of promise, he had struggled to match the heavy points-scoring haul of his rookie year.
I've now got two complete seasons in Formula E under my belt,
That all shifted on the final day of the season. While attention was understandably locked on the championship fight at the front, Barnard put down a clean and confident qualifying lap to lock in 6th place on the grid for the E-Prix. When the lights went out, he stayed right in the mix, shadowing the Mahindra Racing duo of Nyck de Vries and Edoardo Mortara throughout the distance.
The decisive moment arrived late in the running through a brilliantly timed ATTACK MODE activation. Barnard muscled his way past Mortara for P2 before executing a sneaky dive up the inside of polesitter de Vries—a Season 8 champion—into the final turn with just two laps left to run.
"I think playing around the championship games was obviously important," Taylor Barnard said after the race. "As soon as I got to P3 and I had Antonio behind me, I knew there was going to be some games going on, so it almost felt like a podium secured at that point. And then I was just trying to do everything I can to get as much advantage on the Mahindras as possible. I didn't think it was going to be possible, they both had two minutes more energy. So, yeah, to be able to get both of them, honestly, is unreal."
After a grueling year of highs and lows that ultimately saw Barnard finish the 2025/26 Drivers' Championship 11th on 68 points, this stunning victory serves as a massive psychological lift heading into the off-season for both driver and crew.
"I've now got two complete seasons in Formula E under my belt," he adds. "And it's been a long learning process, but obviously the longer I'm going, the more experience I'm getting and the better I'm getting generally at the races, so it's going to keep going. But obviously, it's a massive confidence boost for the team as well. It's been such a tough season, so everybody deserves it."
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