John Barnard
Encyclopedia
John Barnard is a race car designer and is currently working alongside Terence Woodgate designing high specification carbon fibre furniture.
Widely regarded as one of the great technical innovators in Formula One
, John Barnard is credited with the introduction of many new designs, including the semi-automatic gearbox and the first carbon fibre composite chassis
.
In 1968 Barnard was recruited by Lola in Huntingdon
as a junior designer and began working on many of the chassis manufacturer's projects, including Formula Vee racers and numerous sports cars. While at Lola John Barnard was introduced to Patrick Head
, who would later go on to help found the Williams
Formula One
team. The two engineers became good friends and Head was best man at Barnard's wedding in the early 1970s.
In 1972 John Barnard joined the McLaren Formula One team and remained for three years working alongside Gordon Coppuck
on the design of the Championship-winning M23 chassis and other McLaren projects, including the team's Indycar
.
By 1975 Barnard had been hired by Parnelli Jones
to work alongside Maurice Philippe
designing the team's Formula One racer which campaigned from 1974 to 1976. After Philippe left Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing, Barnard modified the design for the Indycar circuit. Further Indycar designs followed and in 1980 the Barnard-designed Chaparral 2K chassis took Johnny Rutherford
to the prestigious Indianapolis 500
and the CART
drivers title.
His success in the United States brought Barnard to the attention of new McLaren team boss Ron Dennis
, and in 1980 he joined the team and began working on the McLaren MP4
(MP4/1), the first Carbon-Fibre-Composite
(CFC) chassis
in Formula One
, alongside the Lotus 91
designed by Colin Chapman
. The chassis itself was built by Hercules Aerospace (U.S.A.
) and quickly revolutionised car design in Formula One with new levels of rigidity and driver protection. Within months the design had been copied by many of McLaren's rivals. In 1983, Barnard pioneered the 'coke-bottle' shape of sidepods still visible to this day.
During his time with the team McLaren became the dominant force within Formula One, taking drivers titles in , and , with the first two seasons seeing constructors honours and the team narrowly missing out to Williams
in for a third. By the time Barnard left McLaren for Ferrari
at the end of his cars had won 31 Grands Prix
for the team.
When Barnard joined Ferrari
the team had not won a Grand Prix since the 1985 German Grand Prix
and the designer had been able to name his terms. Given a large sum of money by the team to set up a design office in England, Barnard founded the Ferrari Guildford Technical Office and began work on returning Ferrari to regular winning. Gerhard Berger
won the last 2 races of the season followed by a lucky victory at the Italian Grand Prix
in September 1988 in a season of total domination by McLaren, whose MP4/4
had been designed by Steve Nichols
, his former colleague, and Gordon Murray
.
In 1989 Barnard pioneered the electronic gear shift mechanism - now known as a semi-automatic gearbox - which was operated via two paddles on the steering wheel. This revolutionary system was considered far too fragile to race and expectations were suitably low, however, Englishman
Nigel Mansell
took victory first time out in Rio
. John Barnard had instigated his second technical revolution, and by every team was running a copy of the Ferrari gearbox. Two more wins followed in and momentum now seemed to be on the team's side.
was signed in an effective swap, sending Ferrari favourite Gerhard Berger
to McLaren. Barnard also opted to leave the Italian
team and join Benetton
.
John Barnard’s B190 took 2 wins in the hands of Nelson Piquet
, which were the last 2 races at Suzuka
and Adelaide
. And his B191 took only a single race win for Piquet. After completing the B192, in which Michael Schumacher
would take his first Grand Prix win, Barnard left Benetton after a dispute with team boss Flavio Briatore
over money.
After working for a short time on the still-born Toyota F1 project, in mid-, Barnard returned to Ferrari, who were once more in a slump, having failed to win a single race since the designer's departure three years previously. Once more Barnard was able to name his terms and opened a new technical office in Surrey
named Ferrari Design and Development (FDD). From his UK
office Barnard began work on the 412T1B
which ultimately returned Ferrari to the top of the podium at the hands of old team favourite Gerhard Berger
.
Barnard continued to design Ferrari's Formula One racers for four seasons, including the 412T2; which took Jean Alesi
to his only race win. By however major changes were underway at the Italian
team. With Berger and Alesi removed, and reigning world champion Michael Schumacher
installed as lead driver, team manager Jean Todt
set about building a design office in Maranello
. Unwilling to re-locate to Italy
, Barnard's 1997 F310B was to be his last design when Todt appointed South African Rory Byrne
as Chief Designer and Englishman
Ross Brawn
as Technical Director. In the summer of 1997 FDD was purchased from Ferrari and became B3 Technologies ending Barnard’s association with Ferrari. Although no longer part of the team, the designer's F310B chassis took Michael Schumacher tantalisingly close to the title and his victory at the Japanese Grand Prix
was to be the last for a Barnard car.
In 1998 B3 Technologies began working for the Arrows
Formula One team, but the deal soon descended into dispute when the Prost team also subcontracted the R&D outfit. Ultimately, John Barnard worked as a technical consultant for the Prost team until its demise in 2001 when he chose to move into motorcycle
racing, becoming Technical Director of the Team KR Grand Prix motorcycle racing
team. On February 29, 2008 John Barnard sold his company, B3 Technologies to 3 people, one of whom had previously worked for him, and moved into furniture design with leading designer Terence Woodgate. B3 Technologies was put into administration in late 2008.
Widely regarded as one of the great technical innovators in Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
, John Barnard is credited with the introduction of many new designs, including the semi-automatic gearbox and the first carbon fibre composite chassis
Chassis
A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...
.
Early career
Barnard gained a diploma from Watford College of Technology in the 1960s and unlike many of his contemporaries he did not follow a lengthy academic career, instead choosing to join GEC.In 1968 Barnard was recruited by Lola in Huntingdon
Huntingdon
Huntingdon is a market town in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was chartered by King John in 1205. It is the traditional county town of Huntingdonshire, and is currently the seat of the Huntingdonshire district council. It is known as the birthplace in 1599 of Oliver Cromwell.-History:Huntingdon...
as a junior designer and began working on many of the chassis manufacturer's projects, including Formula Vee racers and numerous sports cars. While at Lola John Barnard was introduced to Patrick Head
Patrick Head
Patrick Head , is co-founder and Engineering Director of the Williams Formula One team.For 25 years from Head was technical director at Williams Grand Prix Engineering, and responsible for many innovations within Formula One. Head oversaw the design and construction of Williams cars until May 2004...
, who would later go on to help found the Williams
WilliamsF1
Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, trading as AT&T Williams, is a British Formula One motor racing team and constructor. It was founded and run by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head...
Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
team. The two engineers became good friends and Head was best man at Barnard's wedding in the early 1970s.
In 1972 John Barnard joined the McLaren Formula One team and remained for three years working alongside Gordon Coppuck
Gordon Coppuck
Gordon Coppuck is a British racing car designer who was chief designer for McLaren and later worked for March and co-founded Spirit....
on the design of the Championship-winning M23 chassis and other McLaren projects, including the team's Indycar
American Championship Car Racing
Since 1916 there has been a recognized United States national automobile racing National Championship for drivers of professional-level, single-seat open wheel race cars. The championship has been under the auspices of several different sanctioning bodies since 1909. Since 1911, the Indianapolis...
.
By 1975 Barnard had been hired by Parnelli Jones
Parnelli Jones
Rufus Parnell "Parnelli" Jones , is a retired American racing driver and racecar owner. He is most remembered for his 1963 Indianapolis 500 win, and almost winning the 1967 Indy 500 in a turbine car...
to work alongside Maurice Philippe
Maurice Philippe
Maurice Philippe, also known as Maurice Phillippe, was a British aircraft and Formula One car designer.Philippe designed his first car in 1955, called the MPS , while employed developing the Comet 4 aircraft for De Havilland....
designing the team's Formula One racer which campaigned from 1974 to 1976. After Philippe left Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing, Barnard modified the design for the Indycar circuit. Further Indycar designs followed and in 1980 the Barnard-designed Chaparral 2K chassis took Johnny Rutherford
Johnny Rutherford
For the Major League Baseball pitcher, see Johnny Rutherford . For other people with a similar name, see John RutherfordJohn Sherman Rutherford III , better known as Johnny Rutherford, and also known as "Lone Star JR" is a former U.S...
to the prestigious Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
and the CART
Champ Car
Champ Car was the name for a class and specification of open wheel cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades, primarily for use in the Indianapolis 500 auto race...
drivers title.
His success in the United States brought Barnard to the attention of new McLaren team boss Ron Dennis
Ron Dennis
Ronald "Ron" Dennis CBE is the executive chairman of McLaren Automotive and McLaren Group, and is also a significant shareholder in both companies...
, and in 1980 he joined the team and began working on the McLaren MP4
McLaren MP4/1
The McLaren MP4/1 was a Formula One racing car produced by the McLaren team. It was used during the 1981, 1982 and 1983 seasons...
(MP4/1), the first Carbon-Fibre-Composite
Carbon fiber
Carbon fiber, alternatively graphite fiber, carbon graphite or CF, is a material consisting of fibers about 5–10 μm in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together in crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber...
(CFC) chassis
Chassis
A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...
in Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
, alongside the Lotus 91
Lotus 91
The Lotus 91 was a car used by the English team Lotus in the 1982 Formula One season, designed by Colin Chapman, Martin Ogilvie and Tony Rudd. After several uncompetitive seasons with experimental or mediocre cars, Colin Chapman went back to basics and designed the graceful Lotus 91, based in part...
designed by Colin Chapman
Colin Chapman
Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman CBE was an influential British designer, inventor, and builder in the automotive industry, and founder of Lotus Cars....
. The chassis itself was built by Hercules Aerospace (U.S.A.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) and quickly revolutionised car design in Formula One with new levels of rigidity and driver protection. Within months the design had been copied by many of McLaren's rivals. In 1983, Barnard pioneered the 'coke-bottle' shape of sidepods still visible to this day.
During his time with the team McLaren became the dominant force within Formula One, taking drivers titles in , and , with the first two seasons seeing constructors honours and the team narrowly missing out to Williams
WilliamsF1
Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, trading as AT&T Williams, is a British Formula One motor racing team and constructor. It was founded and run by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head...
in for a third. By the time Barnard left McLaren for Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....
at the end of his cars had won 31 Grands Prix
Grand Prix motor racing
Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894. It quickly evolved from a simple road race from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and driver...
for the team.
When Barnard joined Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....
the team had not won a Grand Prix since the 1985 German Grand Prix
1985 German Grand Prix
The 1985 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Nürburgring on August 4, 1985. It was the ninth round of the 1985 Formula One season....
and the designer had been able to name his terms. Given a large sum of money by the team to set up a design office in England, Barnard founded the Ferrari Guildford Technical Office and began work on returning Ferrari to regular winning. Gerhard Berger
Gerhard Berger
Gerhard Berger, is an Austrian former Formula One racing driver, who previously owned 50% of the Scuderia Toro Rosso Formula One team until he sold his share back to energy drink owner Dietrich Mateschitz in November 2008....
won the last 2 races of the season followed by a lucky victory at the Italian Grand Prix
1988 Italian Grand Prix
The 1988 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on September 11, 1988 at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza. It was the twelfth race of the 1988 Formula One season...
in September 1988 in a season of total domination by McLaren, whose MP4/4
McLaren MP4/4
The McLaren MP4/4 was a highly successful Formula 1 car that competed in the 1988 Formula One season. It was designed by Gordon Murray, who based the design on his lowline Brabham BT55 car of 1986, and American engineer Steve Nichols. It is one of the most dominant Formula One cars ever built,...
had been designed by Steve Nichols
Steve Nichols
Steve Nichols is an American engineer who is best known as a car designer for many Formula One teams from the mid-1980s until .-Profile:...
, his former colleague, and Gordon Murray
Gordon Murray
Prof. Gordon Murray , is a renowned designer of Formula One race cars and the McLaren F1 road car.-Early life:...
.
In 1989 Barnard pioneered the electronic gear shift mechanism - now known as a semi-automatic gearbox - which was operated via two paddles on the steering wheel. This revolutionary system was considered far too fragile to race and expectations were suitably low, however, Englishman
Englishman
Englishman may refer to:*English people*Grey Partridge*Jason Englishman, Canadian rock music singer and guitarist*Jenny-Bea Englishman, real name of the Canadien singer Esthero*Erald Briscoe, reggae musician who records under the name Englishman...
Nigel Mansell
Nigel Mansell
Nigel Ernest James Mansell OBE is a British racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship and the CART Indy Car World Series...
took victory first time out in Rio
1989 Brazilian Grand Prix
The 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Jacarepaguá on March 26, 1989.-Report:The FIRST team withdrew before the beginning of the season, as the car had failed a mandatory FIA pre-season crash test...
. John Barnard had instigated his second technical revolution, and by every team was running a copy of the Ferrari gearbox. Two more wins followed in and momentum now seemed to be on the team's side.
The 1990s
For Frenchman Alain ProstAlain Prost
Alain Marie Pascal Prost, OBE, Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur is a French racing driver. A four-time Formula One Drivers' Champion, Prost has won more titles than any driver except for Juan Manuel Fangio , and Michael Schumacher . From 1987 until 2001 Prost held the record for most Grand Prix...
was signed in an effective swap, sending Ferrari favourite Gerhard Berger
Gerhard Berger
Gerhard Berger, is an Austrian former Formula One racing driver, who previously owned 50% of the Scuderia Toro Rosso Formula One team until he sold his share back to energy drink owner Dietrich Mateschitz in November 2008....
to McLaren. Barnard also opted to leave the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
team and join Benetton
Benetton Formula
Benetton Formula Ltd., commonly referred to simply as Benetton, was a Formula One constructor that participated from to . The team was owned by the Benetton family who run a worldwide chain of clothing stores of the same name. In 2000 the team was purchased by Renault, but competed as Benetton for...
.
John Barnard’s B190 took 2 wins in the hands of Nelson Piquet
Nelson Piquet
Nelson Piquet Souto Maior , known as Nelson Piquet, is a Brazilian former racing driver. He was Formula One world champion in , and . He is one of eight drivers to win three or more world championships, the others being Jack Brabham, Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Ayrton Senna , Alain Prost , Juan...
, which were the last 2 races at Suzuka
1990 Japanese Grand Prix
The 1990 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 21 October 1990 at Suzuka. It was the fifteenth and penultimate round of the 1990 Formula One season. It was the 17th Japanese Grand Prix and the fourth to be held at Suzuka...
and Adelaide
1990 Australian Grand Prix
The 1990 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 4 November 1990 at Adelaide. This was the 500th race to contribute to the World Drivers' Championship. The race was the 55th Australian Grand Prix and the sixth to be held on the Adelaide street circuit...
. And his B191 took only a single race win for Piquet. After completing the B192, in which Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher is a German Formula One racing driver for the Mercedes GP team. Famous for his eleven-year spell with Ferrari, Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time...
would take his first Grand Prix win, Barnard left Benetton after a dispute with team boss Flavio Briatore
Flavio Briatore
Flavio Briatore is an Italian businessman. During the 1980s, he was convicted for multiple counts of fraud, receiving two prison sentences, only one of which he served. As a fugitive from Italy, he set up restaurants and then a number of successful Benneton franchises in the Virgin Islands and the...
over money.
After working for a short time on the still-born Toyota F1 project, in mid-, Barnard returned to Ferrari, who were once more in a slump, having failed to win a single race since the designer's departure three years previously. Once more Barnard was able to name his terms and opened a new technical office in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
named Ferrari Design and Development (FDD). From his UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
office Barnard began work on the 412T1B
Ferrari 412T
The Ferrari 412T was the type name for the cars used by Ferrari in the 1994 and 1995 Formula One Season. It was designed by John Barnard and Gustav Brunner....
which ultimately returned Ferrari to the top of the podium at the hands of old team favourite Gerhard Berger
Gerhard Berger
Gerhard Berger, is an Austrian former Formula One racing driver, who previously owned 50% of the Scuderia Toro Rosso Formula One team until he sold his share back to energy drink owner Dietrich Mateschitz in November 2008....
.
Barnard continued to design Ferrari's Formula One racers for four seasons, including the 412T2; which took Jean Alesi
Jean Alesi
Jean Alesi is a French racing driver of Italian origin. His Formula One career included spells at Tyrrell, Benetton, Sauber, Prost, Jordan and most notably Ferrari where he proved very popular among the tifosi...
to his only race win. By however major changes were underway at the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
team. With Berger and Alesi removed, and reigning world champion Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher is a German Formula One racing driver for the Mercedes GP team. Famous for his eleven-year spell with Ferrari, Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time...
installed as lead driver, team manager Jean Todt
Jean Todt
Jean Todt was born on February 25, 1946, in Pierrefort, Cantal, France. After a successful career as a rally co-driver he made his reputation in motor sport management, first with Peugeot Talbot Sport, then with Scuderia Ferrari, before being appointed Chief Executive Officer of Ferrari from 2004...
set about building a design office in Maranello
Maranello
Maranello is a town and comune in the region of Emilia-Romagna in Northern Italy, 18 km from Modena, with a population of 16,841 as of 2009. It is best known as the home of Ferrari S.p.A. and the Scuderia Ferrari Formula One racing team...
. Unwilling to re-locate to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Barnard's 1997 F310B was to be his last design when Todt appointed South African Rory Byrne
Rory Byrne
Rory Byrne is a South African engineer and car designer, most famous for being the chief designer at the Benetton and Scuderia Ferrari Formula One teams....
as Chief Designer and Englishman
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Ross Brawn
Ross Brawn
Ross James Brawn OBE is an English motorsport engineer and Formula One team principal. He has worked for a number of Formula One teams, serving as the technical director of the championship-winning Benetton and Ferrari teams. He took a sabbatical from the sport in 2007 but returned to F1 for the...
as Technical Director. In the summer of 1997 FDD was purchased from Ferrari and became B3 Technologies ending Barnard’s association with Ferrari. Although no longer part of the team, the designer's F310B chassis took Michael Schumacher tantalisingly close to the title and his victory at the Japanese Grand Prix
1997 Japanese Grand Prix
The 1997 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 12, 1997 at the Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka. It was the 16th and penultimate race of the 1997 Formula One season. The race, contested over 53 laps, was won by Michael Schumacher for the Ferrari team after starting from...
was to be the last for a Barnard car.
In 1998 B3 Technologies began working for the Arrows
Arrows
Arrows Grand Prix International was a British Formula One team active from to . For a period of time, it was also known as Footwork.-Origins :...
Formula One team, but the deal soon descended into dispute when the Prost team also subcontracted the R&D outfit. Ultimately, John Barnard worked as a technical consultant for the Prost team until its demise in 2001 when he chose to move into motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
racing, becoming Technical Director of the Team KR Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix is the premier championship of motorcycle road racing currently divided into three distinct classes: 125cc, Moto2 and MotoGP. The 125cc class uses a two-stroke engine while Moto2 and MotoGP use four-stroke engines. In 2010 the 250cc two-stroke was replaced...
team. On February 29, 2008 John Barnard sold his company, B3 Technologies to 3 people, one of whom had previously worked for him, and moved into furniture design with leading designer Terence Woodgate. B3 Technologies was put into administration in late 2008.