Jake Hughes – Syndication Server

McLaren confirms Barnard alongside Bird for Formula E Season 11

McLaren has confirmed that Taylor Barnard will graduate to its Formula E team following the departure of Jake Hughes. Barnard, who has been racing in Formula 2 this year – where he won the Monaco sprint race – alongside his commitments as NEOM …

McLaren has confirmed that Taylor Barnard will graduate to its Formula E team following the departure of Jake Hughes.

Barnard, who has been racing in Formula 2 this year – where he won the Monaco sprint race – alongside his commitments as NEOM McLaren’s reserve and development driver. The 20-year-old deputized for Sam Bird at three races last season after the veteran sustained a hand injury during practice for the Monaco E-Prix. He claimed back-to-back points finishes at the Berlin E-Prix after finishing 14th in his last-minute debut in Monaco.

“I am delighted to be racing for the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team in Season 11,” said Barnard. “In Season 10, I was the team’s Reserve and Development Driver and during that time I learnt a lot, putting my new knowledge into practice in Monaco and Berlin.”

Barnard will race alongside Bird in Season 11, the 12-time race winner being confirmed for a second season in papaya.

“I am excited to race alongside Sam this season, and I am sure I will learn a lot from him,” said Barnard. “He is one of the most experienced drivers on the grid, and I hope that together we can score plenty of points and collect some trophies for the team.

“It’s an amazing opportunity to be able to continue the journey with the team as full-time Formula E driver, and I can’t wait to get started.”

Bird edged Mitch Evans on the streets of Sao Paulo to give McLaren its first Formula E win. Andrew Ferraro/Motorsport Images

Former Jaguar driver Bird joined McLaren ahead of last season and secured a dramatic first victory for the team at the Sao Paulo E-Prix, sweeping round the outside of his former teammate Mitch Evans at the penultimate corner on the final lap of the race in March.

“I’m very happy to be staying with the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team for Season 11,” said Bird. “This team has become like family to me, and I believe that we can achieve even better things together in the upcoming season.

“We’ve done some good work in our first season together; now it’s time to build on that and create even better memories in my second year with the team.”

[lawrence-related id=363808,363033,362706]

NEOM McLaren team principal Ian James said, “I am delighted with our lineup of Taylor and Sam for Season 11, our third in Formula E as the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team.

“Throughout his time with the team last season in his role of reserve and development driver, Taylor has shown dedication, professionalism and talent both on the track and off it. He relished a rare opportunity to demonstrate his ability at very short notice in Monaco and impressed the entire paddock. His grasp of Formula E was further underscored by strong, points-scoring races in Berlin.

“Joining NEOM McLaren at the start of Season 10, Sam immediately became an integral part of the team,” James said. “He secured McLaren’s first win in electric racing in historic fashion in Sao Paulo and demonstrated constant hunger for success. Going into his second season with us, I have no doubt that he and Taylor will bring the team the results we are aiming for.”

Barnard’s predecessor Hughes was confirmed as part of Maserati MSG’s all-new driver lineup alongside former McLaren Formula 1 driver Stoffel Vandoorne at the end of July.

Vandoorne and Hughes in as Maserati overhauls Formula E lineup

Maserati MSG Racing will field an all-new lineup in Formula E next season, with Stoffel Vandoorne and Jake Hughes both joining the team, replacing Maximilian Guenther and Jehan Daruvala. Both drivers arrive at the team ahead of the introduction of …

Maserati MSG Racing will field an all-new lineup in Formula E next season, with Stoffel Vandoorne and Jake Hughes both joining the team, replacing Maximilian Guenther and Jehan Daruvala.

Both drivers arrive at the team ahead of the introduction of the GEN3 Evo formula, and will make their debuts during pre-season testing in Valencia on the week of November 4-7 before Round 1 of the 2024-25 campaign, Season 11, in Sao Paulo a month later.

Vandoorne’s signing means he remains within the Stellantis brand, having moved over from DS Penske – the anticipated destination of Guenther – after two years. He also races for the company’s Peugeot brand in the World Endurance Championship.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1394]

“I’m very happy to be joining Maserati MSG Racing next season and I’m proud to be associated with such an iconic name within motorsport as Maserati,” said the Season 8 champion. “I’m excited to start working with the team – although I haven’t worked directly with them before, I know the team well, both from my time at DS Penske but also from my time with Mercedes when we shared a powertrain with Venturi.

“They are a great bunch of people, very skilled, very determined and I’m really looking forward to working together moving forwards. Hopefully we’ll have a lot of success and fight for victories and championships together.”

Hughes was announced at Maserati a couple of hours after his exit from NEOM McLaren was confirmed. Hughes had been with McLaren since it entered Formula E, having taken over the former Mercedes entry for which he was a reserve driver for – a position which he also served his new team in Season 7 when it was in its guise as Mercedes customer Venturi Racing.

Hughes joins Maserati after two strong seasons with McLaren. Simon Galloway/Motorsport Images

“I’m over the moon to be joining Maserati MSG Racing,” said Hughes. “The success that the team has had, as one of the founding teams in Formula E, speaks for itself.

“On a personal level, I have worked with the team previously so I know them well and I’m genuinely looking forward to going back. I know that the season has only just finished but I honestly can’t wait to get over to the HQ in Monaco and start working with the engineers, get on the simulator and really get cracking with our prep for Season 11.

“This marks the start of an exciting new chapter in my career, and I know that the best is yet to come.”

RACER understands that McLaren had attempted to retain Hughes but both sides couldn’t come to an agreement. As well as Maserati, he was also linked with a move to Nissan, which supplies drivetrains to McLaren.

“Leaving the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team will feel very strange for me in the coming weeks, based on the fact this team has been my home for the last four and a half years,” Hughes said. “I have a lot of thanks to give to so many different people within the team for what they have given me, and how they have prepared me and allowed me to grow into the racing driver I am today.

“Everything I am in Formula E is down to this team, and for that I am extremely grateful. I wish the team all the best, and I have no doubt that we’ll have some good times racing on track against each other in the future.”

McLaren team principal Ian James paid tribute to Hughes upon his departure, saying, “Jake has made a significant contribution to this team over the years, both on and off the track, and we are incredibly grateful for his input and dedication throughout.

“During this time, he has flourished into a proven talent in Formula E; particular highlights being his four pole positions – of which one came in only his third ever event in Formula E – and his P2 finish in Shanghai this year.

“On a personal note, I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Jake. Alongside his natural talent as a driver, he is a consummate professional and yet has an easy sense of humour which has endeared him to all in the Formula E paddock.”

Similarly to how Hughes joined the race team, McLaren is expected to promote current test and reserve driver Taylor Barnard to race alongside Sam Bird for the team. Barnard starred with two points finishes earlier this year filling in for Bird when he was out injured.

Guenther delivered Maserati its first Formula E win – and its first single seater victory since Juan Manual Fangio at the 1957 German Grand Prix – in Jarkarta in 2023. Sam Bagnall/Motorsport Images

Meanwhile, although Guenther is expected to fill the vacancy created by Vandoorne at DS Penske, Daruvala’s Formula E future is currently unknown.

“At the end of an intense Formula E Season 10, Maserati would also like to extend its sincere thanks to Max and Jehan for their incredible passion and commitment to the team,” said head of Maserati Corse Giovanni Tommaso Sgro. “In the last two years, Max has provided us with some of the most significant moments in Maserati’s modern history on the track: with his victory in Jakarta last season, he was the first driver to bring a Maserati single seater back to the top step of the podium since Juan Manuel Fangio.

“This year, he won in Tokyo and took a podium placing two years running in the Trident’s home race, in Rome and Misano… These memories will forever remain indelibly imprinted on this brand’s history on the track and we’re really proud of these results.”

Hughes sets expectations for McLaren’s mega Sunday with maiden podium

Jake Hughes joked that he’s put his McLaren teammates under more pressure to perform on Sunday after taking pole and a podium in the second race of the Shanghai E-Prix doubleheader. As well as Formula E, McLaren is racing in Formula 1’s Monaco Grand …

Jake Hughes joked that he’s put his McLaren teammates under more pressure to perform on Sunday after taking pole and a podium in the second race of the Shanghai E-Prix doubleheader.

As well as Formula E, McLaren is racing in Formula 1’s Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 later today, with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris starting second and fourth on the grid in the principality, and Alexander Rossi and Kyle Larson leading the charge from fourth and fifth on the grid at Indy.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1394]

Expectations are high across both of the combustion programs, and Hughes laid down a benchmark by taking a long-awaited first Formula E podium.

“I’ve put the pressure on them a little bit,” he quipped. “I think we’ve got a good chance of seeing one, if not both of them on the podium there (in Monaco), and then the Indy 500, Kyle (Larson) was impressive for sure. We’ll make sure we watch both races later on.”

McLaren is racing in three series across three continents on Sunday, with Formula E in Shanghai kicking things off. Alastair Staley/Motorsport Images

Hughes’ podium came after nearly two years racing in the all-electric category with McLaren, and follows Sam Bird taking the team’s first win at Sao Paulo in March. With a previous best finish of eighth at high-consumption tracks (at the first Misano race), Hughes said he emulated factory Nissan driver Oliver Rowland, who’s had three podiums, including a win, from four starts at the comparable Misano and Berlin tracks earlier this season.

“It’s about time, isn’t it?” he said. “I think I approached the race quite differently today. I think it’s fair to say these pack races haven’t been kind to me, or I haven’t helped the situation as well, and I think I took a leaf a little bit out of Oli’s book today and just wanted to make sure I stayed near the front. That meant being quite aggressive and trying to make some moves and I think it paid off.

“It’s amazing how much easier the race felt, driving like I did today, so hopefully it’s something we can continue.”

As well as the change of approach, plus the weight of McLaren’s big weekend, a return to a previous stomping ground gave Hughes another shot in the arm.

“China’s always been kind to me,” he said. “I raced here twice in Asian Formula 3 and I won each race I did there. And I’ve always gone well in Macau, so racing in this part of the world has always been pretty kind to me.”

Porsche’s da Costa dominates second Shanghai E-Prix as Hughes nets first podium

Antonio Felix da Costa secured his second win in three races with a commanding drive in the second race of Formula E’s Shanghai E-Prix. The TAG Heuer Porsche driver held off NEOM McLaren’s Jake Hughes who got his first Formula E podium after …

Antonio Felix da Costa secured his second win in three races with a commanding drive in the second race of Formula E’s Shanghai E-Prix.

The TAG Heuer Porsche driver held off NEOM McLaren’s Jake Hughes who got his first Formula E podium after starting from pole position, having led for just under half of the 28-lap contest — one lap shorter than Saturday’s race.

Da Costa started third on the grid, and by waiting late to take his two passes through the longer Attack Mode line, he didn’t lose as much ground compared to others around him. He moved into the lead on lap 16, passing Andretti’s Norman Nato in the first corner.

Nato had been the pacesetter for much of the early stages of the race, having taken the lead himself on lap 4 — his fourth lap also being the fastest lap of the race – when front-row starter Stoffel Vandoorne dipped into the Attack Mode loop. Nato eventually finished third after da Costa and Hughes broke away, while Vandoorne wound up sixth.

All three faced a threat from Jaguar TCS Racing’s Nick Cassidy, who once again had an energy advantage due to the Jaguar’s superior efficiency, but his charge faded after he made contact with Hughes on lap 19 which left him with front wing damage. Cassidy led home teammate Mitch Evans with the DS Penskes of Vandoorne and Saturday polesitter Jean-Eric Vergne next up.

Maserati MSG Racing’s Maximilian Guenther wound up eighth, ahead of Envision Racing’s Robin Frijns who completed a stellar charge through the field from 20th on the grid.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1394]

It was a difficult day for championship challengers Oliver Rowland and Jake Dennis, who wound up 10th and 11th respectively having been unable to complete their customary climbs up the order as has come to be expected this season. They did fare better than fellow title protagonist Pascal Wehrlein, however, who finished a lowly 20th after pitting with a puncture following contact with McLaren’s Sam Bird.

Bird, who was the race’s only retirement, was also involved in a collision with Mahindra’s Nyck de Vries which resulted in a five-place grid penalty which will be served at the first race in Portland in five weeks time.

After both races in Shanghai, Cassidy remains in the lead of the championship with 167 points, 25 clear of Wehrlein, with Evans a further 10 back in third. Da Costa sits seventh, behind Rowland, Dennis, and Vergne, but could be something of a championship dark horse with his exclusion from the first Misano race still pending review. Should that race win be reinstated, he would be the only three-time winner this season and leapfrog Vergne, moving within a point of Dennis.

RESULTS

Hughes gives McLaren Shanghai E-Prix pole by record slim margin

Not content with a front row start at the Monaco Grand Prix with Oscar Piastri or a top-five starts at the Indianapolis 500 with Alexander Rossi and Kyle Larson later today, McLaren began its busiest Sunday of the year claiming pole position for the …

And Jake Hughes did it in style, beating DS Penske’s Stoffel Vandoorne by 0.001s, making it the closest pole margin in Formula E history.

Vandoorne began his lap strongly, going quicker in the first sector, but Hughes began to reel him in in the second. At the end of the lap, a mystified Hughes exclaimed over the radio “Did we get it? That felt awful!” But it was enough to grab pole for the second time this season.

Ahead of the head-to-head Duels final, Hughes topped the second group in the opening part of qualifying, then beat Andretti’s Norman Nato and TAG Heuer Porsche’s Antonio Felix da Costa.

Vandoorne, second to Nissan’s Oliver Rowland in Group A, defeated Nick Cassidy in his quarterfinal — Cassidy, like Hughes on Saturday, setting the second-quickest time in the quarterfinals but being beaten in the head-to-head — and Mahindra’s Nyck de Vries in the semis. after de Vries had defeated Rowland in his first head-to-head.

Behind the front row of Hughes and Vandoorne, da Costa will line up third on the gird alongside de Vries in his best starting spot of the season so far. The third row of the grid is a Jaguar TCS Racing lockout with Cassidy in fifth and Saturday winner Mitch Evans – beaten by da Costa in the Duels quarterfinals – sixth.

[lawrence-related id=356747]

Andretti’s Norman Nato and Rowland will occupy seventh and eighth on the grid, with Saturday polesitter Jean-Eric Vergne – eliminated in the first part of qualifying after going fifth fastest in Group B – and Maserati MSG’s Maximilian Guenther rounding out the top-10.

Sam Bird will start 11th in the second NEOM McLaren, ahead of Nissan’s Sacha Fenestraz, and two more big names who fell in the group stage, Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein, and Andretti driver Jake Dennis.

Sergio Sette Camara will be the highest-placed ERT driver on the grid in 15th, ahead of Jehan Daruvala (Maserati), Nico Mueller (Abt Cupra), and teammate Dan Ticktum.

Lucas di Grassi (Abt Cupra), Robin Frijns (Envision Racing), Edoardo Mortara (Mahindra), and Sebastien Buemi (Envision) complete the field.

RESULTS

McLaren’s Hughes tops opening Formula E practice in Mexico City

Jake Hughes was fastest in the opening Formula E practice of 2024 in Mexico City, despite bringing the session to an early end with a crash at Turn 1. The NEOM McLaren driver understeered through the first turn before colliding with the outside …

Jake Hughes was fastest in the opening Formula E practice of 2024 in Mexico City, despite bringing the session to an early end with a crash at Turn 1.

The NEOM McLaren driver understeered through the first turn before colliding with the outside wall, however his best time of 1m14.364s, set on his 14th and final lap of the session, was 0.381s quicker than Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein, with Nico Muller of Abt Cupra a further 0.01s back in third.

Envision’s Robin Frijns was fourth quickest, with the reigning champion, Andretti Global’s Jake Dennis, completing the top five.

Antonio Felix da Costa made it two Porsche drivers in the top six, bettering Jaguar’s Mitch Evans, with Nissan duo Sacha Fenestraz and Oliver Rowland, and Andretti’s Norman Nato rounding out the top 10.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1394]

Previous series champions Sebastien Buemi and Jean-Eric Vergne finished the session just outside the top 10. Nick Cassidy — racing for Jaguar for the first time this weekend after matching 2023’s highest win tally driving for Jaguar customer outfit Envision — was mired in the midfield as well.

Another driver making his debut for his new team, NEOM McLaren’s Sam Bird, could only manage the 16th-fastest lap despite his teammate topping the timesheets, while Nyck de Vries, returning to Formula E after his stint in Formula 1, drove his Mahindra to 20th.

Hughes’ late off wasn’t the only red flag incident of the session. Maserati MSG’s Maximilian Guenther ran wide at the final turn early in the session, brushing the wall and coming to a stop at the top of the start-finish straight.

Guenther had already managed to set a time, but it was only good enough for 21st, with his teammate — the only rookie in the field, Jahan Daruvala — in 22nd.

RESULTS