It has been the story of the season, really: the little slips, the small margins, the races where a result looked close enough to touch before fortune intervened and took it away again. Taylor Barnard and DS Penske have had their share of promise and frustration in equal measure, and after a strong showing in Tokyo, the final outcome was again left unrewarded by circumstance.
Now the paddock turns to London for the season finale, and with it comes a sense of occasion that is hard to ignore. It is the last race of the campaign, the final appearance for DS in Formula E, and Barnard is approaching it in the same measured way as ever: one step at a time, one session at a time, one small improvement at a time. His pace in Tokyo went unrewarded, though it could have been a win. Something that he suggests has been a case of the season.
“It’s definitely been the story of this season,” he said. “If anything goes slightly differently, we probably have 100 points more than we do right now.”
That remark carries the weight of a season that has not lacked pace, but has too often lacked reward. In practice, things looked encouraging again in London, and Barnard is clear that the priority is to make the most of what the team has in front of it. Around the Excel Arena, where overtaking is rarely straightforward, qualifying may prove the decisive battleground.
“Honestly, it’s just going to be the same approach as always,” he said. “Trying to do the best that we did in practice, maximising the package, taking all the lessons for tomorrow, and just maximising what we get in the races. I think London, or this track specifically, is going to be very important in qualifying.”
In many ways, this weekend also marks the end of an era. The Gen3 cars have become part of Formula E’s recent identity, and Barnard has seen them evolve from the edge of his own career into the machinery that has helped define his rise. He speaks of them with obvious affection, particularly the move to all-wheel drive, which he says transformed the experience behind the wheel.
“I drove a little bit in Season 10, but in Season 11 and 12, with the all-wheel drive, it’s been phenomenal,” he said. “The acceleration, the speed, and the feeling in these cars is unbelievable.”
There is excitement, too, about what comes next. Formula E is heading toward a new technical chapter with Gen4, and Barnard is among those looking forward rather than backward. But he also understands that the present era has mattered, because it has laid the groundwork for whatever follows.
“We all have to remember that it all started with this car,” he said. “This is going to be changing the future, so it’s definitely been enjoyable the last couple of seasons, but I think everybody’s excited to move to the future.”
The same sense of transition surrounds the calendar itself. London’s Excel Arena is set to host Formula E for the final time before the championship moves on, and Barnard is reflective about the place of street circuits in the series’ identity. For him, they remain essential, even if the package is increasingly capable of doing justice to more permanent venues.
“I definitely feel like street circuits need to stay in Formula E at some point,” he said. “I feel like it’s part of our DNA as a championship.”
Still, he also sees the logic in adapting to the car’s growing performance. It is a pragmatic view, one that accepts change without discarding the category’s roots. Brands Hatch, for example, feels like a natural fit in his eyes; other venues might demand more imagination.
“The cars are definitely suited more towards permanent circuits, so I feel like making some changes is the correct thing to do,” he said.
For Barnard, the final race for DS Penske is also another reminder of how quickly Formula E can move. The teams, the manufacturers, the technical cycles, the identities attached to them all shift with a speed that can make a season feel fleeting. But for a young driver still building his name, association with those big names matters.
“It’s great,” he said. “To be associated with these kind of names and teams and brands is all I’ve wanted my whole life.”
That sense of appreciation runs through his answers. He knows where he is, he knows how competitive the environment is, and he knows that opportunities at the sharp end of motorsport are never guaranteed. For now, he is enjoying the ride, hoping that there is more to come.
“I’m enjoying it whilst it’s lasting,” he said, “and I’m hoping more for the future.”
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Story and interview by Sam Tickell for RacerViews. Photograhpy by Tom Lloyd.
