Taylor Barnard secured a sensational pole position in Monaco after a dramatic conclusion to Formula E’s Race 1 qualifying session, capitalizing on an uncharacteristic mistake by Oliver Rowland crashing at Sainte Dévote during the final.
The McLaren junior driver, who made his debut at the Principality last season, delivered a composed and measured lap to take pole position on the grid, the youngest double pole-sitter in Formula E history. The 20-year-old Briton’s star continues to rise, and with new investors circling McLaren’s entry prior to its rebranding, the timing could not be better.
Group Stages: Favourites Hold, Underdogs Shine
Group A saw the early drama unfold as both DS Penske drivers, Jean-Éric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne, failed to escape the group stage, being joined by Sébastien Buemi, Nico Müller and Zane Maloney, the trio prolonging their unwanted record of failing to make the Duels. Maloney, this season’s statistically worst qualifier (average 17.8), once again failed to deliver, while Nissan’s Oliver Rowland led the session ahead of Nyck de Vries, Jake Dennis and Pascal Wehrlein.
The session wasn’t entirely incident-free: Sam Bird went too deep into the chicane after the tunnel, and Maximilian Günther had to pump the brakes of his Maserati repeatedly on the hill climb out of Turn 1 in a bid to get them up to temperature. Early slow laps soon gave way to quicker running, with Rowland heading the field on a 1:28.713 lap.
Group B saw another tale, headed by Dan Ticktum’s high form. The Cupra Kiro driver topped each practice session and carried that form into winning his group, three-tenths ahead of a resurgent Mitch Evans. The Jaguar driver, mirroring his Monaco winning in 2024, replicated the achievement of topping both practice sessions and his group before falling short in the duels.
Ticktum, Barnard and Robin Frijns made it through, while the big names fell—most notably Nick Cassidy. The Jaguar driver had a horror day after a technical problem in FP1 and never really looked at ease. He finished the session a lowly tenth, continuing an alarming trend of Season 11 poor qualifying performances.
Quarter-Finals: Familiar Faces, Fresh Battles
The duels themselves were a fascinating combination of youth and experience, with each of the eight quarter-finalists representing a different team—a testament to Formula E’s competitive balance. In the first duel, Mahindra’s Nyck de Vries surprised reigning world champion Jake Dennis by two-tenths, preserving Mahindra’s 100% record this season of having at least one driver in the duels.
The highlight duel was next: Pascal Wehrlein vs Oliver Rowland. Despite Wehrlein being unbeaten in their three previous duels this season, Rowland finally turned the tables. The Nissan driver was two-tenths quicker in sector one and clung on, eliminating the most consistent qualifier of 2025 so far.
In a thrilling all-British fight, Barnard upset Jaguar’s Evans by four-tenths, turning around a first-sector deficit to claim a commanding win. The final fight featured Dan Ticktum edging out Robin Frijns in a scrap split by hundredths only until the final sector.
That sealed grid positions four to seven: Wehrlein, Frijns, Dennis and Evans respectively.
Semi-Finals: Barnard Surges, Rowland Powers On
The semi-finals saw Rowland face off against De Vries in a repeat of Shanghai last year, where the Dutchman took victory. Rowland turned that around this time with a strong first and third sector after a dismal middle sector to claim his place in the final.
In the second semi-final, Ticktum and Barnard were separated by hundredths through the early sectors. But Barnard kept his nerve to deliver a commanding final sector, besting the Cupra man by a tenth. The Briton was through to a second final appearance—and the biggest one yet.
Final: Rowland Cracks, Barnard Shines
The fight for pole came down to Rowland versus Barnard, with a lot on the line for both. For Rowland, victory would be a career ninth pole and his 500th world championship point. For Barnard, a chance to pull level with António Félix da Costa in the standings—and send a message to the rest of the grid.
But it was done almost as soon as it had begun.
As Rowland exited Sainte Dévote, he clipped the barrier, damaging his car and costing him precious time. Despite finishing the lap, Barnard had already opened a march and sealed the top spot. It was an anti-climactic finish for Rowland, but no less of an achievement for the papaya orange young star.
As the sun sets over the iconic Monte Carlo harbour, Barnard will start right at the front for one of the most glamorous races on the Formula E calendar. With confidence soaring and a race-winning car underneath him, could the British sensation be about to record a career-defining win?