Taylor Barnard focuses on positives after P4 finish at Mexico City E-Prix: “I can’t complain at all”

Taylor Barnard came very close to his second pole position as well as a podium spot in Mexico City, but the DS Penske driver lost out by a whisker. The 21-year-old isn’t disappointed with finishing fourth at the Mexico City E-Prix and is instead happy to have achieved such a result with his new car in just his second race of the season. He moved to DS Penske after his former team, NEOM McLaren, made an exit from the Formula E championship.Taylor Barnard came extremely close to securing pole position, but Envision Racing’s Sebastien Buemi went on to claim it after Barnard’s lap times were deleted during qualifying due to track limits.Despite that setback, he still started from the front row on the grid and went on to finish fourth in the Mexico City E-Prix. He had the strongest start of the race, pressurising polesitter Buemi into a defensive mistake at Turn 1 and taking the lead on Lap 1 as he chased the accolade of becoming the series’ youngest-ever winner. However, he soon lost multiple positions before eventually recovering to fourth place after overtaking Andretti’s Jake Dennis, who finished fifth.Taylor Barnard later shared a few pictures from the Mexico City E-Prix and penned a reflective note about the race. It read: “Mexico City. Incredible support as always, so thank you to everyone that showed up. Happy to take some valuable points away from the weekend after a difficult start in Sao Paulo. P4 in the race and fighting for Pole is always positive. Big thanks to the team, the car worked well all weekend.”Reacting to his post, one fan wrote in the comments: “Brilliant result and performance. Lots of positives to take for the next one. Well done.” Another added, “You still drove incredible all weekend, showing everyone why you’re in FE. You will bounce back and get that race win — we believe in TB77.”Taylor Barnard also remained upbeat after missing out on pole to Sebastien Buemi. He said in a video shared on Instagram, “Unfortunately, P2 after all of the chaos on my last lap. However, I can't complain at all. It's my second week with this team, my second week with this car. To be in the fight for pole position is absolutely amazing. I don't want to call it a comeback, but it’s an amazing achievement for myself and for the team.”Barnard may have finished fourth, but the DS Penske driver is clearly in strong form and looks well placed to improve further and secure his first podium with his new team. He currently stands sixth in the Formula E Drivers’ Standings.Also read: Nick Cassidy reflects on Mexico City E-Prix win: “What a crazy fun race”