P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Taylor Barnard became the youngest polesitter in Formula E history, defeating Oliver Rowland in the final of the qualifying Duels for the second race of the Jeddah E-Prix. The NEOM McLaren driver –…
Taylor Barnard made history by becoming the youngest polesitter in Formula E, besting Oliver Rowland in the final of the qualifying Duels for the Jeddah E-Prix’s second race. Despite his young age of 20 years and 259 days, Barnard displayed exceptional speed during the qualifying session, setting three laps faster than any other driver. In the final Duel, Barnard capitalized on Rowland’s mistake at the complex Turn 8-9-10-11, ultimately finishing 0.363 seconds ahead of him.
Throughout the Duels, Barnard showcased his skill by defeating Antonio Felix da Costa and Jake Hughes in the opening rounds. Meanwhile, Rowland triumphed over Friday polesitter and race winner Nyck de Vries, as well as Stoffel Vandoorne, to reach the final against Barnard. The grid for the upcoming race will see an all-British front row, with Vandoorne’s third-place position under scrutiny due to a potential technical infringement.
Other notable performances include da Costa starting fifth, Mortara in sixth, and Guenther alongside Bird on the fourth row of the grid. The top 10 will be completed by de Vries and Dan Ticktum, while several drivers like Vergne and Wehrlein face challenges further down the grid. The race is scheduled to kick off at 12:05pm ET on Saturday for an exciting showdown in Jeddah.
