Ticktum joins Barnard for Fortescue Zero’s Formula E debut
Dan Ticktum will partner Taylor Barnard at Fortescue Zero Racing in the 2026/27 Formula E season. The move ends his spell with the operation that raced as NIO 333, ERT and CUPRA KIRO. Fortescue’s debut coincides with the introduction of GEN4 cars, and its announced line-up brings together two race winners.
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Fortescue pairs Ticktum with Barnard
Dan Ticktum will join Fortescue Zero Racing alongside Taylor Barnard for the 2026/27 Formula E season. The electric single-seater championship will introduce GEN4 cars that season, with Ticktum switching teams for the new era.[1], [2]
The championship announced the signing on October 22. Ticktum, 27, has raced in Formula E since 2021/22 and remained with the same operation through its NIO 333, ERT Formula E Team and CUPRA KIRO identities. The move takes him to a new outfit for its debut season. Fortescue says it will be the first Australian-owned team to compete in the series.[1]
Two victories precede the team move
Ticktum has two Formula E wins. His first came at the Jakarta E-Prix in 2025, when he took the lead after a late collision between Jake Dennis and Nyck de Vries. The second was at the Tokyo E-Prix in 2026. He passed Dennis around Turn 16 on the final lap after Dennis suffered a momentary power cut, according to the championship’s account.[1]
Barnard is also the championship’s most recent race winner. The official announcement therefore gives Fortescue two drivers who have already won in Formula E. The two British racers form the new team’s pairing for a season with an announced 21-race calendar and a change of car generation.[1]
Wright stresses experience and teamwork
In the team’s separate announcement, principal Jim Wright highlighted Ticktum’s experience and race-winning record. He said speed needed to be accompanied by discipline and teamwork to deliver results, and that the new outfit had much to prove. Ticktum said he wanted to help build the team and looked forward to working with Wright.[1]
Ticktum said he understood the support and faith placed in him and wanted to repay that backing through his work. He described joining the construction of a new team as exciting. Fortescue said its motorsport experience had roots in Williams Racing and extended to electrification technology for racing, commercial vehicles and heavy industry.[1]
