Barnard joins Fortescue Zero Racing for Formula E’s GEN4 debut
Taylor Barnard will join Fortescue Zero Racing for the 2026/27 Formula E season, becoming part of the team’s debut as a competitor and the championship’s first campaign in the GEN4 era. The Brit is moving on after leaving DS PENSKE at the end of 2025/26.
Barnard made his Formula E debut in 2024, stepping in for Sam Bird at the Monaco E-Prix at 19. He has since become the series’ youngest driver to start a race, take pole position and reach the podium, before adding the record as its youngest race winner. His London E-Prix victory marked the latest milestone in that run.
Barnard takes on a new team project
Fortescue Zero is entering Formula E as a team after working in high-performance engineering and electrification. The company traces its motorsport roots to Williams Advanced Engineering and is already involved in the championship as its Official PIT BOOST supplier. Its move into competition was covered in our report on Fortescue Zero’s Formula E entry.
Barnard said he was excited to help build the new operation and turn its ambitions into results. He also pointed to Fortescue Zero’s electric technology work, saying he looked forward to helping develop it further. The team has yet to confirm its complete driver line-up.
GEN4 brings a major performance step
The timing places Barnard’s move at the start of a new technical era. GEN4 is expected to reach speeds above 335kph, with acceleration from 0 to 100kph in approximately 1.8 seconds and 0 to 200kph in 4.4 seconds. The latter is 1.5 seconds quicker than its predecessor.
In race mode, the car will deliver 50% more power than the current GEN3 Evo. In qualifying mode, GEN4 is projected to be an average of 10 seconds faster per lap than GEN3. Attack Mode output will reach 600kW, while the car will also be the only single-seater race car with permanent all-wheel drive.
For Barnard, the move combines a fresh team challenge with the arrival of the championship’s new car. Fortescue Zero has not yet named its second driver, leaving the full line-up to be confirmed in due course.
Simone Scanu
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.