Barbados’ rising star driver Zane Maloney is fulfilling another dream.
The country’s top driver opened a new chapter in his racing career after being added to the grid for the forthcoming 11th season of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship as a part of the Lola Yamaha ABT team.
The 20-year-old is currently third in the FIA Formula 2 Championship and is a reserve driver for Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber. In addition, he has been reserve and development driver for the Andretti team since 2023.
Tests
Maloney already has Formula E experience, having completed several tests.
“I am delighted to be part of the Lola Yamaha ABT team and looking forward to this exciting challenge,” he said.
“Although I already know the championship well, this is a completely new chapter for me, so working with such an experienced team, and alongside such a successful driver [Lucas di Grassi], is the perfect next step.
“I’ve followed and admired Lucas’ battles over the past seasons, including when he became champion. I’m sure that I will learn a lot from him and together we will push both ourselves and the development of the car forward.”
This will be the team’s first ABB FIA Formula E World Championship season and they have decided to make a grand statement with one of the grid’s most exciting driver pairings, having confirmed rookie Maloney as the teammate of “Mr Formula E”, Lucas di Grassi.
In combining the driver with the most races in championship history with the only rookie confirmed so far, the team underscores its intent to shake up the status quo and drive the next generation of motorsport talent and technology.
“We’re delighted to welcome Zane to the team for the upcoming Formula E season, completing our driver pairing as one of the most exciting on next season’s grid,” said Till Bechtolsheimer, chairman of Lola Cars Ltd.
“Zane is a hugely talented young driver with an abundance of speed and potential and, alongside Lucas, we have an ideal combination of youth and experience. Zane has demonstrated his abilities in a variety of junior categories and proven himself as a race
winner, and we’re looking forward to seeing him get behind the wheel in testing and then at round one in São Paulo.”
Young talent
ABT CEO, Thomas Biermaier also commented on the Maloney signing.
“We are very much looking forward to having Zane as part of the team for Season 11, and he has already brought a breath of fresh air during our first days working together,” he said.
“Giving young talent a chance and supporting them has been a strong tradition at ABT for many decades and that’s why it was clear to us that we would also follow this path in Formula E.”
Maloney’s rise through the junior ranks of motorsport has been hugely impressive, having started his karting career on the 0.9-kilometre Bushy Park circuit in Barbados where he competed against and beat juniors almost twice his age. He honed his speed and astute race craft, he took the bold step to compete in European karting, where he faced grids almost ten times the size of those he was used to. Success in these categories led to Maloney competing in numerous junior formulas, including claiming the British F4 Championship, as well as securing race wins in the Formula Regional European Championship
and Formula 3.
Maloney has joined the team for testing in Varano, Italy, and will be back in the new car in Spain this week.
“We won’t know how good our package is until São Paulo. I am confident that I have the raw speed to be competitive, but experience is key in Formula E, so I will do everything I can to catch up here as quickly as possible,” he said.
Written by Stefan Walker
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