McLaren star smashes Formula E record after stunning Jeddah pole

Taylor Barnard made Formula E history by becoming the youngest driver to ever claim pole position. 

The McLaren star faced championship leader Oliver Rowland in the final duel at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, ahead of the fourth round of the season in Jeddah. 

Rowland was unable to defeat Barnard, who has boasted phenomenal pace in Saudi Arabia and claimed third place in Friday evening's race – Rowland finished second. 

On the second row, it is an all-Maserati party, as Season 8 world champion Stoffel Vandoorne secured third on the grid with Jake Hughes alongside him. 

In a huge qualifying shock, Pascal Wehrlein failed to make the duels for the first time this season, whilst Jaguar's misery continued. 

Duels

It was an all-British battle in the final, with Rowland and Barnard having also finished Friday evening's race in second and third. 

Through the first sector and it was Rowland with a very narrow advantage of 0.004s; however, the Nissan driver made a costly mistake through the bus stop chicane in the middle sector. 

The error by Rowland made it Barnard's pole to lose, something he did not do courtesy of a phenomenal final sector. Barnard blitzed Rowland by over four tenths, posting a stunning 1:14.804.

To make the final, Barnard first defeated Antonio Felix da Costa in the quarter finals after setting an outstanding 1:14.840. He then destroyed Hughes in the semi finals. 

As for Rowland, the championship leader faced yesterday's race winner Maximilian Günther in the quarter finals and Vandoorne in the semi finals. 

In the other two quarter finals, Vandoorne defeated Bird and Hughes went quicker than Mahindra's Edoardo Mortara.

Group stage

As is always the case in the all-electric series, the drivers only had 300kW of power during the group stage – they have 350kW in the duels – in Jeddah which took place in slightly cooler conditions compared to Friday afternoon. 

Rain was visible in the distance and had been an expected threat; however, the entirety of qualifying was completed in the dry. 

The opening group in qualifying ahead of the second race of the weekend – the fourth round of the season – featured several big names. 

Championship leader Rowland, reigning champion Wehrlein, Friday night's winner Günther and both Jaguar drivers were in the first group. 

Of those mentioned names, only Rowland and Günther progressed, with Wehrlein having suffered his first group elimination of the season. Vandoorne topped the group, ahead of Rowland, Günther and Bird.

In group two, it was McLaren's Barnard who continued his supreme weekend by going fastest. He was joined in the top four by Hughes, Mortara and Da Costa. 

Update: Vandoorne was disqualified post-qualifying for his fire extinguisher not being armed.