Taylor Barnard has made the leap to Formula 2. A hot property in junior-single seaters for many years, his true breakout season was in 2023 where he debuted impressively in FIA F3. But how was his path to F2 different from the norm, and how can he be expected to fare in 2024? Feeder Series analyses. 

By Martin Lloyd

Barnard has been a hot property since his early karting days, having won multiple British national titles before moving onto the European stage. An impressive first season resulted in a WSK Final Cup win in 2018, and Barnard was signed by Nico Rosberg’s karting academy. Evidently, Barnard has been a proven talent since his first steps in motor racing. However, the path from karting to the top of junior single-seaters has not been easy.  

Fast-forwarding to the present day, the Norwich-born racer finds himself in the PHM AIX squad for 2024, competing in his sixth championship with the German team. Having driven for Roland Rehfeld’s outfit over four other series in 2022 and 2023, Barnard is resuming their alliance in F2. Indeed, this is the same team that helped Barnard to make his first significant waves in car racing in 2022, after a difficult opening season. 

Initial struggle

With Rosberg’s backing, Barnard began his first full season in car racing in 2021’s edition of ADAC F4. This followed a part-time stint in the previous season of Italian F4, and Barnard was expected to impress in the Rosberg-affiliated BWR team. However, the Briton could only finish 17^th. BWR withdrew from two rounds, while the driver himself showed just flashes of speed. Rosberg’s academy was then discontinued, presenting major challenges for Barnard’s future. 

In a 2022 Feeder Series interview, Barnard acknowledged his tough debut year in F4. 

“Last year with BWR, we had limited track time and limited resources so we didn’t have much of a chance to click. And with the budget we have, my dreams were definitely in danger.”

Without significant financial backing, the road ahead for Barnard in motorsport would present clear challenges to his future. He was not the only karting champion to become a Rosberg protégé, as Lorenzo Travisanutto won multiple OK titles with the German’s backing. Nevertheless, when Rosberg stepped back from his academy, Travisanutto was unable to find the budget to move into cars. It seemed inevitable that Barnard would meet the same fate as the Italian.

Finding a lifeline

Unlike his stablemate, Barnard was able to continue his career in 2022. At this crucial post-Rosberg juncture in his career, a lifeline emerged in the form of PHM. This would turbocharge Barnard’s progress, as he competed in three championships in 2022. A return to ADAC F4 saw a much-improved sophomore year with a second-place finish. Meanwhile, he also claimed eighth in Italian F4 and ninth in F4 UAE. 

For the first time, Barnard was transferring his karting pedigree to cars. Where would he go next? The conventional move after a high F4 finish would be a full season of Formula Regional – but this was not Barnard’s move. He made a pitstop in the Middle East, finishing second in the winter Formula Regional championship but would not race in FRECA. Instead, he impressed F3’s Jenzer Motorsport in the 2022 post-season tests enough to be granted the opportunity to move straight to the Swiss team for 2023. 

Alongside fellow ADAC F4 race winner Nikita Bedrin and Alex García, Barnard impressed immediately in F3. Scoring two-thirds of Jenzer’s points total, Barnard beat both teammates in every single race. He even took four podiums, including a win in the madcap wet-dry feature race at Spa. An overall finish of ninth in the drivers’ standings was just reward for a consummate debut season at a much higher level, while he helped Jenzer to sixth in the teams’ championship. Meanwhile, Barnard also became the reserve driver for the McLaren Formula E team. 

This F3 season evidences Barnard’s stellar progress in recent years. To contextualise his performance, he is the first Jenzer driver since Yuki Tsunoda in 2019 to finish in the top 10. In the three years between the pair, the highest Jenzer placing was 18^th. Both Barnard and Tsunoda are prodigious talents and have extracted more from their machinery than was expected, both have moved immediately to F2. Of course, it is unknown whether Barnard will follow Tsunoda to F1, but nevertheless, he is clearly talented and able to perform better than most peers in a less competitive car.  

What to expect?

Performance will continue to be an important characteristic in 2024. PHM have made a difficult start to their Formula 2 career, having taken over Charouz’s entry in 2023. Nonetheless, the team achieved multiple top 10 finishes last season and Barnard has shown the ability to outperform the expectations of his car. 

Furthermore, he has also proved that he can capitalise on unusual circumstances. For example, he won the aforementioned Belgian feature race in 2023 for Jenzer in an extremely high-pressure situation as the win accounted for nearly a quarter of Jenzer’s 2023 points tally. Barnard is unlikely to win again in F2, but he has shown his ability to maximise his car in all scenarios. Aligned with a previously successful driver-team relationship, these factors could enable Barnard and PHM to spring a couple of surprises in 2024. 

Throughout his career to date, Barnard has overcome turbulence and is rising to the highest rung of the junior single-seater ladder, despite an atypical route. Another challenge awaits in F2 with his fledgling team, but their previous associations will help Barnard to make the step up. Results can be achieved in the right circumstances, and Barnard’s abilities should not be underestimated.  Given these elements and his career to date, it would be unwise to bet against Barnard upsetting a number of applecarts in his new championship. After all, he has a history of doing so. 

Header photo credit: Diederik van der Laan / Dutch Photo Agency