John Barnard

The engineer who revolutionized Formula One with carbon fibre and paddle-shift gearboxes.

John Edward Barnard (born 4 May 1946) is an English engineer and racing car designer. Barnard is credited with the introduction of two new designs into Formula One: the carbon fibre composite chassis first seen with McLaren, and the semi-automatic gearbox with shift paddles on the steering wheel, which he introduced with Ferrari.

Quick Facts

Birth name: John Edward Barnard
Born: 4 May 1946
Birthplace: Wembley, London, England

Lore & Background

Barnard gained a diploma from Watford College of Technology in the 1960s and joined General Electric Company. In 1968, he was recruited by Lola Cars as a junior designer. While at Lola, he was introduced to Patrick Head, who later helped found the Williams Formula One team. In 1972, Barnard joined McLaren for three years, working on the M23 chassis and IndyCar projects.

By 1975, he was hired by Parnelli Jones to work with Maurice Philippe on the Parnelli VPJ4 Formula One car. After Maurice Philippe left, Barnard modified the design for Indycar. In 1980, the Barnard-designed Chaparral 2K chassis won the Indianapolis 500 and the CART drivers title. He joined McLaren in 1980 and designed the MP4/1, the first carbon fibre composite chassis in Formula One.

The chassis was built by Hercules Aerospace in the US. The MP4/1's strength was demonstrated at the 1981 Italian Grand Prix when John Watson emerged unhurt from a massive crash. Barnard also pioneered the 'coke-bottle' shape of sidepods. During his time, McLaren won drivers titles for Niki Lauda in 1984 and Alain Prost in 1985 and 1986, with constructors honours in 1984 and 1985.

The 1984 season saw McLaren win 12 of 16 races with the TAG-Porsche powered MP4/2. By the time Barnard left for Ferrari at the end of 1986, his cars had won 31 Grands Prix. The 80° V6 TAG engine was financed by Mansour Ojjeh of Techniques d'Avant Garde and built by Porsche to Barnard's specification. After debuting at the 1983 Dutch Grand Prix with approximately 700 bhp, power rose until the 1.5-litre turbocharged engine produced around 950 bhp at the end of its life.

Barnard joined Ferrari in 1987, founding the Ferrari Guildford Technical Office in early 1988. In 1989, he pioneered the electronic gear shift mechanism (semi-automatic gearbox) operated via two paddles on the steering wheel. Nigel Mansell took the new V12-powered Ferrari 640 to victory first time out at the 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix.

Reader's Guide

Barnard's career spanned key innovations in Formula One. He introduced the carbon fibre composite chassis with McLaren's MP4/1, which revolutionized car design with new levels of rigidity and driver protection. He later introduced the semi-automatic gearbox with Ferrari, which allowed drivers to change gear without removing their hands from the steering wheel. His designs won 31 Grands Prix for McLaren and helped Ferrari return to winning ways.

Did You Know?

The semi-automatic gearbox allowed Gerhard Berger to return to racing just two races after a fiery crash at the 1989 San Marino Grand Prix.
Barnard put a ban on Ferrari's tradition of having wine at the mechanics' lunch table during testing.
The Ferrari Guildford Technical Office name was a play on words of Ferrari's GTO road car.