Taylor Barnard is at the centre of a volatile contractual wrangle after complex recent events have called in to question exactly where he will race for the first GEN4 season.
As a result, Formula E Notebook believes Barnard will now not compete for Fortescue Zero as originally intended for the 2026/27 season.
This is largely because of a legal challenge to the contract he signed earlier this month was issued to the team by his own management company last weekend.
Barnard had already been announced and nominated as a Fortescue Zero driver last month. He was set to be publicly unveiled at Fortescue Zero’s team launch this Friday in London.
But now it appears that he and his management company, PHM Racing Academy GmbH, have sought a release from their original commitment and will subsequently look to race elsewhere should they get the outcome they desire.
FEN has learned that Barnard will not be in attendance at Friday’s launch after PHM-RAG issued challenges to the contract, which it believes should make the deal voided, hence releasing Barnard.
The sensational developments, which have been described to FEN by parties close to the situation as ‘highly complex’ and ‘now deep rooted in accusation and bitterness’ are set to rock Formula E on the eve of its GEN4 era, which Barnard is expected to be a key player within.
22 year-old Barnard was confirmed as the Australian team’s first signing earlier this month with the British driver stating on his own Instagram page that he was “delighted to announce I’m joining Fortescue Zero” and that he was “looking forward to shaping it from the start.”
He was joined at the team soon after by ex-CUPRA Kiro driver, Dan Ticktum, after the British driver weighed up possibilities from Lola, CUPRA Kiro and the new Fusion team.
Barnard’s fresh deal came after Fortescue Zero metamorphosed from DS Penske to its present guise. That came after former owner Jay Penske was made an offer by the UK based Australian owned company in August. That deal was completed in mid-September, while Barnard’s agreement is believed to have been formed later that month and then fully signed in early October.
FEN understands that Fortescue Zero is strongly resisting the action on Barnard being released from the deal, with an official spokesperson telling FEN that “Taylor Barnard is under contract with Fortescue Zero Racing. We do not comment on individual contractual matters.”
“Our focus is on preparing for the upcoming Formula E season, and we are confident of fielding a strong and competitive driver line-up,” concluded the statement.
Should Barnard be released from his Fortescue Zero contract, he will likely then be considered as a possible future driver with fellow new entry, Fusion Formula E Team.
They will run a brace of Porsche GEN4 cars from the 2026-27 season onwards. FEN understands that Fusion now hold the final seat on the GEN4 grid, with Ayhancan Guven set to be confirmed shortly in the other berth. With Jaguar set to name a teammate for Antonio Felix da Costa next week and Lola also known to have now confirmed its seats, the second Fusion seat is the only one available on the maxed out 24-car grid.
Can Barnard switch?
Paul Mueller, a German business entrepreneur who has managed Barnard for several years, founded the PHM Racing stable, which includes the PHM Racing Academy GmbH company that formally manages Barnard. PHM Racing was the team that Barnard drove for in F4 and F2, before it was bought out by financial services firm AIX Investment Group and became AIX Racing in May 2024.
Mueller oversaw Barnard’s signing for Fortescue Zero at a time when the Fusion plans to be a customer Porsche team were still forming, only for a deal to actually be done in early October. This was completed via the SAJ Finance company, owned by business and motorsport entrepreneur, Dan Richards, with the Porsches that were initially intended to be run by Porsche as factory cars.
To a certain extent, Barnard is obliged to race for Fortescue Zero, after being officially announced and nominated as a driver to the FIA.
And that is not just because he has signed a contract with the team. Also identified in what could become an even more complex scenario for Barnard is Article 9.2 of the official Formula E General Provisions, published by the FIA on October 1. This includes a stipulation that drivers cannot easily move teams prior to the start of the season.
The article states that ‘any driver nominated by one competitor, who then wishes to drive for another competitor entered in the championship, must first satisfy the FIA that this is being done with the consent of the original competitor. If there is no such consent, the FIA will decide, at its absolute discretion, whether such a change may be made.’
The full entry list of drivers is set to be published on or before November 15, a day before the start of the Jarama test.
PHM Racing Academy GmbH was approached by FEN for comment on the situation this week but they declined to comment at this time.
