In the second part of Motorsport Week’s exclusive interview with Till Bechtolsheimer, the Lola chairman reveals more detail about the signing of rookie sensation Zane Maloney, and the Formula E team’s realistic expectations for the remainder of Season 11.

One of the first issues to navigate for the Lola-Yamaha-ABT team was to find a replacement for Nico Mueller, who left to join Andretti.

The motorsport community, particularly within Formula E, were surprised to learn the man chosen was Formula 2 driver Zane Maloney.

The Bajan was in the midst of a title battle in the premier Formula 1 feeder series alongside Paul Aron and new F1 signings Isack Hadjar and Gabriel Bortoleto, the latter eventually taking the championship.

Maloney opted to forego his title aspirations to make the switch to FE in what was a demonstration of, not just Lola’s pulling power, but further indications that FE’s legitimacy as a top-level championship is more prevalent than ever.

Along with Bortoleto, Maloney made the jump from Sauber’s academy to take-up the drive alongside FE’s most long-standing driver, Lucas di Grassi.

Bechtolsheimer has nothing but praise for what he has seen of Maloney so far.

“I think it’s a really interesting driver lineup with the most experienced driver on the grids and the only real rookie,” he said.

“I mean, we’ve got a couple of rookies this year, but Zane is the only one who up until the first race of the season had never raced in a Formula E car before and that’s a really interesting dynamic. 

“I think it’s a great dynamic for where we’re at with Lola, as part of this multi-year campaign. Right now, we need someone like Lucas with the experience that he brings and the focus that he brings, and allowing a Lucas and a Zane, who are at such different points in their careers… I think they work really, really well together.

“And there’s a lot of positives. We want everyone pulling in the same direction, developing the car together, we have that dynamic with those two. 

“To have the opportunity to work with who I think is going to be the next big talent in Formula E is fantastic. He did exceptionally well in all of the junior formulas, including Formula 2. I mean, he was leading the championship for half of the season last year, and I think demonstrated that he’s got the chops to go up against this rising crop of drivers, a lot of whom are going into Formula 1 this year, and coaxing him over to Formula E, I think, is a real coup, not just for Lola, but for Formula E as a championship as well.”

Lola ‘impressed’ by ‘mature’ Maloney

A number of names including Dan Ticktum, Sacha Fenestraz and Kelvin van der Linde were all thought to have been contacted or at least considered, but shocked everyone by making the acquisition of Formula 2 talent Maloney.

Bechtolsheimer confirms that many names were sounded-out, but attributes showed by Maloney in their early conversations was enough to convince them.

“Yeah, I would say he was always on the shortlist and I think when you’re putting a shortlist together of drivers, I don’t think you rank the shortlist so much because until you’ve spoken to them and looked into them in more detail, it’s really just who would we be really excited to have.

“And there was a very small handful of young drivers that we were taking a look at and part of the problem with young drivers… you’re not hiring them into Formula 1, which is [what] they’ve grown up since little kids to wanting to do… one thing and one thing only, and that’s Formula 1, and we’re not a Formula 1 team.

“I get it. I respect it. I’m sure I’d be no different as a young driver, but the level of maturity that Zane demonstrated from the very first time we talked to him about how he thought about his career and how he felt Formula E could play a role in that was really, really impressive.

“When you talk to the Lola and the ABT engineers who work with Zane, they’re just so impressed with how mature of a driver he is, and Formula E is so different to what any of those younger drivers have had to deal with.

“It’s very different to Formula 1. You’re managing a lot of different things in the car. It takes time, and it takes, I think, a certain personality, a certain level of intelligence to be able to maximise [a package], and [in] Formula E [you] can’t be successful in this, and I think we’ve got that in Zane.”

Lola’s ‘good base package’ something to work towards in terms of progress

At the time of this interview – over the weekend of the Mexico City E-Prix – Lola had so far yet scored any points, and after rounds three and four in Jeddah, this is still the case, but there are many things to be positive about for the team.

Maloney qualified in the top 10 in Mexico, and in the season-opener in Brazil, he found himself running in the top six for a portion of the race, but his hopes were dashed after the red flag situation caused a chaotic change in the order.

But Bechtolsheimer sees much to be pleased about so far, saying that he is ‘”focused on where we are in the field come London, the last race of the season, not the first or second.

“I just want us to be making progress,” he added. “There are so many things that we need data on that right now, yes, we want to be competitive, don’t get me wrong, and the team is working incredibly hard to make sure that we get some good results here in the early part of the season.

“But the most important thing for us and for Yamaha is to collect data, make improvements, demonstrate to ourselves that we’re on the right path.

“I think Sao Paulo was that in a nutshell as well. We were disappointed that we didn’t end up with points. The fact that that was even a possibility in our very first race in Formula E, I think shows we’ve got a good base package.

“We’ve now just got to make these, not even baby steps, these significant steps every time we’re out and that’s what our main focus is.”

On the question of where Lola will take itself next, Bechtolsheimer is coy on what are the following steps but teases that the name will be seen elsewhere soon.

“We haven’t announced anything. Obviously, other than Formula E at this point, but I’m confident you’ll be hearing new announcements from us in 2025 about incremental projects,” he said.

“There’s one that’s a definite already, not ready to announce it yet. It’s less motorsport focused in terms of going to another series, but I think it’s an interesting product. 

“But in terms of racing in other series, I can assure you we’re working very hard on making that a reality.

“Lola has so much heritage in so many different forms of motorsport that we want to be going back to as many of them as possible.”

READ MORE – Exclusive: Lola supremo says Formula E entry was ‘no-brainer’

The post Exclusive: Lola boss says Zane Maloney signing ‘came from nowhere’ appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Zane Maloney has said that his FIA Formula E debut in São Paulo gave him “good confidence” ahead of the next races ahead.

The Bajan, who forwent the final round of the Formula 2 championship at Abu Dhabi to join-up with Lola Yamaha ABT, finished 12th out of 14 cars that finished the chaotic curtain-raiser in Brazil, which was won by Jaguar’s Mitch Evans.

In the first instance, Maloney said that whilst the bar was set low by the British squad – making its single-seater motorsport return – he took positives out of the race.

“Of course there wasn’t many expectations coming into this weekend, but I’ve gotten good confidence from this race,” he told Motorsport Week.

“A relief, yes, to finish the race with not too many scratches, only a few, but it was important to finish this race and get good experience for me and the team.”

‘I honestly think good points were on the cards’

One frustration for Maloney was a drive through penalty that blunted his progress through the field, having been lying as high as fifth at one stage. 

“I think we had a plan coming into the race, a strategy. We executed it well. 

“We were in the top five at one point with the attack mode, which was nice. I honestly think good points were on the cards this weekend. 

“We had the drive through with the overpower, which kind of obviously ruined the race for us, at the worst time as well, so that was the main problem in the race. 

“But it’s expected for a new manufacturer, a new team to have these sort of problems, so I’m really confident moving forward.

“I’m not saying that we are now going to go and win races, that’s not going to happen, but we’ve learned so much.

‘We’ve learned hundreds of things this weekend and once we can implement that, which I have good confidence in the team, with the people that we have around, that we can implement these things even for Mexico. 

“And once we do that, then we’re looking in good shape to keep moving forward through the season.

Maloney’s feat of finishing the race and spending time in the points places are even more remarkable after revealing that it was by far the longest stint he had spent in the car since first taking the wheel in tests in the off-season.

“The team learned so much from the car this weekend,” he said. “I learned so much in my driving and I didn’t even get to do the race simulation and testing, so this is the first time I’ve ever done more than five laps in a row pushing a Formula E car, so to have the result we did and the pace that we did, I’m excited for the future.”

The post Zane Maloney: ‘Good confidence’ gained from debut Formula E race appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Rodin’s Zane Maloney said “I don’t think I ever left the championship fight” despite surrendering an early lead in the FIA Formula 2 Drivers’ standings but falling to fourth before this weekend’s action at the Belgian Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

Maloney got off to a flying start this F2 campaign, completing a double victory at the season-opening round in Bahrain.

Consistent early season results saw him maintain that championship lead, but a dip in form in recent rounds save for a double podium finish at Silverstone, has seen the Barbadian slip to fourth in the Drivers’ standings.

Still, with a tally of 101 points, 39 behind championship leader Isack Hadjar, Maloney acknowledged that even with a patchy run of results, he is very much within the title picture.

“I don’t think I ever left the championship fight,” Maloney told select media including Motorsport Week.

“I mean until you get to a stage where it’s really unrealistic, I think you’re always in that fight.

“Of course the wins in Bahrain, then the podiums, double podium in Silverstone, podium in Imola, they came right after each other.

“But if you were to dig in at every detail of why we haven’t been on the podium when we haven’t, I think sometimes, of course, you would understand that it’s from my side or the pace, and then other times it was out of our control.”

Maloney said he’s “approaching this weekend the same” at Spa-Francorchamps after a disappointing outing at Hungary.

“I mean, last weekend, I think it was quite clear that two podiums were on the cards, but yeah, we came out of the weekend with zero points,” the Sauber Academy Driver said.

“So I’d say that we’re in a good place. The pace is strong. The mentality is the same within the team as it has been when we won both races in Bahrain.

“So we’re just looking forward to kind of getting it on a sheet of paper because it means nothing without that. But yeah, other than the sheet of paper, everything’s going very well.”

The post Maloney: ‘I never left’ F2 championship fight appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Rodin Motorsport driver Zane Maloney delves into his ambitions for the Formula 2 season, sharing his goals for a comeback in the Drivers Standings.

After dominating the opening round of the Formula 2 season in Sakhir, the 20-year-old Barbadian driver led the F2 Drivers’ Standings.

In an exciting season with eight different winners in 10 races, Maloney sat at the top of the table until an unfortunate weekend in Monaco.

Now sitting in third place in the Drivers’ Standings just 11 points behind the frontrunner Paul Aron, Maloney hopes for a comeback.

Maloney told Motorsport Week: “The start of the season was great. I made some mistakes but things improved from my side and the team has given me a great car and I’ve performed well with it.

“I’m just focused on winning more races and doing the best job that I can for the rest of the year. So I kind of forgot about the first few rounds in terms of results and I’m more focused on securing those results now.”

The Sauber Academy Driver made history in Bahrain as the first Barbadian driver to win a race in the feeder series.

His impressive junior career earned him a reserve drive at Andretti’s Formula E team for Season 10.

Maloney finished the 2023 Formula 2 season in 10th after securing a second-place finish in Formula 3 the year before.

“It’s my second year, so I have learnt a lot more about the car,” Maloney said. “I have a different mindset this year and I’m just trying to get the maximum out of the car every single round.

“It’s tough when you go through the race weekend after you finish and you realise you really didn’t do the best job that you could have. It’s never one thing, it’s always a 100 things that cause the good or bad results, so I’m working on that.”

With Formula 1 being his ultimate goal, Maloney has a lot of work to do this season to find a spot at the pinnacle of motorsport.

Having joined the Sauber Academy in February earlier this year as a Reserve Driver role for Sauber Motorsport, he is being noticed by top teams.

Maloney shared: “My dream is Formula 1. There are only 20 seats so it’s difficult to get in, and of course, timing is a big factor.  

“It’s a privilege to be in Formula 2 and to be so close to my dream, I never expected that when I was younger.

“I was always at the racetrack with my dad, my two uncles, and my granddad as they all raced.”

Growing up in a motorsport family can’t have been easy, but for Maloney, it helped to sculpt his ambitions.

The boy from Barbados lived and breathed racing, with his father and uncles competing in races across the island.

Maloney explained: “We are a motorsport family. There aren’t many conversations about things outside of racing in my family. 

“When you want to get to Formula 1, everything needs to be at 100% all the time so if we aren’t focused on racing then we’ve missed something that we could be doing better.”

“My dad’s family were all race car drivers so they understand everything. My dad looks at the strategy, the data, and everything, so he doesn’t really get too nervous. My mum, though, paces up and down every time.”

Utilising the skills he picked up from his family, Maloney has pushed himself to the limit to work towards his ultimate goal.

Maloney’s track record proves he is a talent, but even better – he’s a fast learner.

The Barbadian snagged the F4 British Championship Title in 2019 in his first year of graduating from karting.

Securing a fourth-place finish in FRECA, the young driver moved on to F3 where he finished second in 2022.

Last year, Maloney finished 10th in the F2 standings – this year, he’s picked up two wins and is in contention for the title.

So far his single-seater track record has been strong, and Maloney also had a taste of rallying back in 2022.

“Barbados is quite big on rallying,” he explained. “I’ve done a few rallies in Barbados and it was so cool. It’s so different to circuit racing. I was winning stages but it didn’t go as well as I wanted it to.

“You can’t quite be 100% on every lap because it’s so dangerous. Anything can happen in a rally. I was scared for my life at certain points because it’s so unpredictable and I tried to push as hard as I could.

“The crowd was amazing in Barbados, it was amazing to race at home. But, my dream will always be Formula 1.”

After a disastrous weekend in Monaco costing him the Championship lead, Maloney has a lot to think about ahead of the next round in Barcelona.

He shared: “When it comes to the races, I always need to be confident on what my plan is. So it’s more than just going out. 

“I need to be here with a clear mindset, not think about the standings too much and just try to do the best job possible.”

Looking to regain his lead in the standings, the Rodin Motorsport driver hopes for a smooth weekend in Barcelona from the 21-23rd of June.

The post Exclusive: Zane Maloney talks Formula 2 ambitions in 2024 appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Rodin Motorsport’s Zane Maloney is full of confidence after an impressive double race victory in the 2024 Formula 2 season-opener in Bahrain and ahead of Round 2 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the Barbadian driver spoke with Motorsport Week regarding his change of mentality heading into his second F2 season and his race-by-race approach to claim the coveted title.

Maloney was an F2 rookie this time last year and ended the 2023 campaign 10th in the Drivers’ Championship with four podium finishes.

But from pre-season, the Rodin driver immediately looked like a stronger competitor and emerged as the fastest driver of the three-day Bahrain test in February.

This pace translated well in racing action, where last weekend Maloney put on an impressive display from eighth on the grid in the Bahrain Sprint to claim his maiden win, before snatching the holeshot from third on the grid in the Feature to double his win tally for the F2 curtain raiser, becoming the first driver since the formation of GP2 in 2005 to win both season-opening races in the secondary single-seater formula.

“It feels amazing,” Maloney told Motorsport Week.

“The goal is to always start off the championship as strong as you can. Everyone’s target for the weekend is to be on pole and win the feature race.

“So that was great to win the feature race. Of course, I wasn’t on pole, so it wasn’t a perfect weekend. But yeah, to win the sprint race as well was a big bonus and puts us in very good spirits going into this weekend in [Jeddah].

Maloney credits a change in mentality for transforming from the driver who finished 10th in the standings in 2023 to one who is now an early title favourite in 2024.

“I learned so much last year,” he said.

“Of course, I learned as a driver, but to be honest, more outside of the driving things mindset-wise, just being in the correct mindset each session is what I learned the most last year.

“That’s just a big positive from my side, just understanding what I need to do to perform each weekend.

“I know that I’m a good driver. I know that I’m one of the fastest on a race track, but performing to be the fastest is a different story. And I’m now trying to figure out how I can do that more consistently.”

A double win has granted Maloney an early 12-point lead in the Drivers’ standings and talk has already begun regarding his title candidacy, but whilst the Barbadian ace admits that “of course, my goal is the championship,” he is instead taking each session as it comes.

“If my goal wasn’t the championship, I’d be at home in Barbados doing something else,” Maloney said. “So for sure, the goal is the championship.

“The goal is to win every race of the year. Of course, that’s not realistic enough with the chaos and such amazing drivers aand teams.

“I think the only way you can win a championship and win races is if you go session by session, lap by lap, day by day with the team and trying to get the maximum out of everyone around you and the car that you’re driving.

“So that’s our main goal. And then all those other highs and positives will come after that.”

After pre-season testing and Round 1 both taking place in Bahrain, teams had a sense of understanding regarding their new F2 machines heading into the race meet at Sakhir, but Jeddah, Saudi Arabia is a different proposition.

Still, Maloney admits that “going into any weekend in F2, you never know where you’re going to be” and while there are a lot of “unknowns” heading into Round 2 in Saudi, that was the case for Round 1, in Bahrain, “there were a lot of unknowns.”

Maloney adds: “I know that if I drive to the best of my ability and the team set the car up to the best of their ability we’ll be right at the sharp end because I trust in the people that I work with and vice versa as well.

“So I think it’s just important to forget about Bahrain and focus on Jeddah as a team.

“We’ve won two races this year but just because you’ve won races before doesn’t mean that you’re going to win the next one.

“So keep our feet on the ground and the season’s only now started and we just need to keep performing.”

Another change that occurred for Maloney from 2023 into 2024 was his Driver Academy affiliation.

A former Red Bull Junior, Maloney has now made the switch to the Sauber Driver Academy and Maloney holds the Hinwil-based outfit in high regard.

“It’s going amazing with the Sauber Academy,” he said.

“I’m getting a lot of information in the background, a lot of advice, and there’s just so many knowledgeable people around me.

“So I just need to get the most out of who I’m working with.”

Maloney believes that having a renowned junior team in Rodin in his corner, the support of Sauber as well as his reserve role with Andretti’s Formula E squad the effects are “showing on the track.”

Of course, an affiliation with Sauber’s Academy opens up the prospects of testing a Formula 1 machine, but Maloney was coy on the subject and is instead continuing his focus solely on F2 with Rodin.

“If I take my focus off of what I’m doing now, then I won’t perform as well as I can in F2,” he said.

“So I’m 100% focused on F2 and doing a great job there. In the end, all these things come when you do well in what you’re doing.

“This championship is a very high level.

“So to be at a high level in a high-level championship is of course very difficult.

“[Rodin] are helping me every day. I hope that I’m helping them.

“I’m trying my best to, and so far it’s working out, but of course every day we’re learning as a team and we’re improving, everyone in the team’s improving.”

The post Maloney talks F2 title ambitions in 2024 appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Zane Maloney completed a stellar weekend in Bahrain to follow up his success in the Sprint with a commanding win in the Feature race to take near-maximum points.

Maloney got off to a flying start on the Soft tyre, charging past Gabriel Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar after a slow start saw the polesitter clip the side of the Campos car.

Enzo Fittipaldi was an unfortunate victim of the lights-out chaos as he hit the stricken Hadjar side-on at Turn 1 and both drivers retired, meanwhile, Bortoleto incurred front-wing damage and a 10-second penalty for his hand in the incident.

Zak O’Sullivan was a major benefactor of the chaos by snatching second place with Dennis Hauger tailing behind in his MP Motorsport car.

The safety car was swiftly deployed after the collision, with drivers asked to use the shortcut at Turn 1 while Hadjar and Fittipaldi were recovered from the track after an early end to the first Feature Race of the season with the all-new cars for both.

Continuing a disappointing weekend for Prema, Oliver Bearman went to the pits before the pit stops opened with a mechanical issue while Mercedes prodigy and reigning FRECA champion Andrea Kimi Antonelli cruised around the midfield.

The leading driver from Barbados made a quick start after the safety car returned to the pits, while Jak Crawford charged down the inside of Bortoletto with a bold move to head for the podium places.

MP’s Dennis Hauger fell under pressure on the hard compound tyres from a flying Crawford on softs behind in the DRS zone, as he went deep on Turn 5 to take the position from the MP competitor.

Maloney comfortably set the fastest lap on Lap 5, establishing a 1.7-second lead while O’Sullivan tailing behind slowly lost the slipstream to the race leader which left him vulnerable to Campos’ Pepe Marti who snatched his position down the straight on the softs.

Juan Manuel Correa visited the pits in Lap 6 with a mechanical issue rather than for a tyre change, retiring whilst his teammate O’Sullivan raced in contention for a podium.

Down the inside of Japanese rookie Ritomo Miyata, Richard Verschoor in a Trident snatched 7th place at Turn 8 while Bortoletti charged past Hauger to find a place back on the podium.

Drivers flooded the pits when the window opened on Lap 11, with Martins changing to softs and a disastrously slow stop for PHM driver Taylor Barnard that dropped him to 19th place having to return to the pits with an ill-fitted right rear a lap later.

Hauger was left vulnerable to Miyata going around his outside on Turn 1, preserving by Turn 6 to steal 6th place from the Norweigan MP driver.

Pit lane chaos continued as Prema driver Bearman crashed into the side of Hitech’s Amaury Cordeel as they both aimed for the pits in Lap 16, with ART driver and podium contender O’Sullivan and Hauger going in for the soft tyres.

By Lap 16, Maloney established a 4.9-second lead as competitor Crawford lost power during a routine pit stop, forcing him to retire from the race after mechanics tried to revive the engine before his race came to a close.

Drivers like Verschoor and Paul Aron picked up 5-second penalties for speeding in the pit lane, while further chaos unfolded as ART’s Victor Martins lost power coming out of Turn 4, bringing out yellow flags in sector 2 right as the race leader was heading into the pits.

Maloney rejoined the pack in the lead, while Antonelli snuck his way up into the points positions by lap 20 on his debut weekend.

The safety car was deployed in Lap 19, leading the pack around the field until Maloney got a swift exit down the straight as green flags were waved on Lap 21 with a scrappy pack following behind the Barbadian driver.

Disqualified from qualifying after earning a pole position, Invicta’s Kush Maini worked his way up the field and saw himself in contention for points coming out of the safety car restart on fresh soft tyres.

DRS was quickly enabled and saw the two Prema drivers side by side, as Antonelli curved around the outside of Bearman to steal eighth place while he was bombarded by six drivers going into Turn 10.

Tailed by the Invicta duo, Ritomo Miyata lost position to Bortoleto, leaving him stuck between a train of cars behind Antonelli in 8th.

The Indian Invicta driver was closely following Antonelli after climbing from 22nd to 8th, jumping him as a duo with Bortoleto at Turn 4.

Marti ran down the inside towards Turn 1 into second place in the crucial last few laps, as Aron lunged down the inside of O’Sullivan to steal third place as the British driver continued to struggle with his degrading tyres.

Hauger lost 5th place to his teammate Franco Colapinto, leaving him to defend from the Invicta duo flying down the field with a swapped track position as Bortoleto took Maini towards Turn 6 on Lap 30.

Bortoleto made up another place after a great exit on the corner at Turn 5 to take 5th place after a tragic start to the Feature, but Maloney was the star as he snagged the double with a 4.6-second lead to Marti in second.

Marti finished runner-up after a stunning drive going from 12th, while Aron found himself on the third step of the podium after starting 13th.

O’Sullivan held onto fourth while Bortoleto had a great recovery drive to finish in fifth after the added penalty, with two MP’s in the top ten with Colapinto in sixth and Hauger in eighth.

Scrapping with Miyata who finished in ninth for Rodin, the Mercedes junior Antonelli earned his first points finish in 10th place on his debut F2 weekend after a disappointing start to the season for Prema.

The post Maloney dominates F2 Feature to take double Bahrain win appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Sauber Academy Driver Zane Maloney completed a fine performance from eighth on the grid to take his maiden Formula 2 victory in Friday’s Bahrain Sprint for the Rodin Motorsport team.

Reverse grid polesitter Jake Crawford held onto a podium finish in second for DAMS and rookie driver and Red Bull Junior Josep María Marti took a fine third for Campos Racing.

Crawford got a good launch at lights out to snatch the holeshot and Zak O’Sullivan attempted to squeeze his way into second but failed to get past ART GP team-mate Victor Martins, with both drivers enjoying good starts.

That was the top three after the first of 23 laps with Enzo Fittipaldi and Zane Maloney rounding out the top 10, but a Virtual Safety Car kept the packed bunched up as Amaury Cordeel’s car was wheeled off of the road at Turn 4.

Front-row starter Taylor Barnard had a tricky start, falling back to 10th in his PHM AIX Racing machine.

The green flag flew once again at the start of Lap 3 and 2023 rookie of the year Martins harassed Crawford out at front.

The front five runners sought to stretch a gap from the rest of the pack, with Red Bull Junior Isack Hadjar tagging along in a not-too-distant sixth.

A frenetic exchange with Maloney and Fittipaldi saw the former snatch fourth and then charge after O’Sullivan to take third into Turn 1 at the start of Lap 4.

The Rodin driver then set the fastest lap as he tagged onto the back of second-place Martins.

After five laps, it was a three-way fight for the lead between Crawford, Martins and Maloney and a three-way battle for fourth between Fittipaldi, Hadjar and O’Sullivan, who was feeling the effect of starting on the hard rubber, dropping further still as the laps ticked by.

Maloney was the man on the move, having snatched second from Martins, the Barbadian driver was setting his sights on leader Crawford on Lap 7, passing the American a lap later on the exit of Turn 4.

Had Crawford won his soft rubber too far in the opening laps – that would be the question on his mind as Martins was stuck to the DAMS driver’s rear diffuser.

The two PREMA drivers, hotly tipped to be title contenders this year had been struggling with balance all weekend and despite it not being required in Sprints, both rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman languished toward the back of the order and elected to pit for new tyres, emerging in 18th and 19th respectively.

14 laps in and having fallen to the fringes of the top-10, hard tyre-clad O’Sullivan started to move forward, snatching eighth from soft-tyre runner Fittipaldi.

Meanwhile, third-placed Martins got all crossed up on Lap 15 in the Turn 5,6,7 sequence of corners and as the Frenchman came round to complete his fifteenth lap, Hadjar was right on his tail and completed a pass in the DRS zone on the run-down to Turn 4 on Lap 16.

Out front, Maloney enjoyed a comfortable margin over Crawford of approximately 3 seconds with Crawford in turn enjoying a six-second gap back to third-placed Hadjar.

Martins’ woes continued and he found himself being passed by another Red Bull junior on Lap 18, namely Campos Racing rookie Martí.

Martí then found himself in a battle for the final podium place with fellow Campos and Red Bull Junior driver Hadjar with the latter struggling with front tyre wear.

Martí snatched third into third at Turn 1 on Lap 20, but Hadjar fought valiantly throughout the first sector, but to no avail as he resigned himself to fourth.

Things went from bad to worse at this point for Martins, falling back into the midfield, losing fifth place with several runners close behind as the field came around to start Lap 21.

Maloney comfortably took a controlled maiden win, passing the chequered flag with a plus-five-second advantage over Crawford and Martí finished a second and a half further back, having converted an 11th-place starting spot into a podium finish.

Hadjar held onto fourth and full-season rookie Paul Aron took fifth for Hitech, fending off fellow rookie and Invicta Racing driver Gabriel Bortoleto.

McLaren Junior Bortoleto had fought his way through a train of cars late on and cleared seventh-placed O’Sullivan by 1.8 seconds.

MP Motorsport’s Dennis Hauger claimed the final points-paying position in eighth, with reigning Super Formula Champion Ritomo Miyata taking ninth for Rodin.

Trident’s Richard Verschoor completed the top-10.

PREMA’s difficult day saw Antonelli finish in 14th and Bearman in 16th.

Formula 2 action continues with the Feature Race on Saturday which commences at 13:30 local time (10:30 GMT).

The post Maloney takes maiden F2 Sprint victory in Bahrain appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Rodin Motorsport’s Zane Maloney set the fastest time of the three-day FIA Formula 2 pre-season test in Bahrain.

The test got underway Sunday, February 11 and concluded on Tuesday, February 13 marking the second time the Formula 2 field were all able to drive the new generation of car.

Largely similar to the previous iteration of the F2 machine, retaining a similar chassis and the same engine and gearbox, the new car sports an updated aero package via a reprofiled floor, nose, front and rear wing.

However, drivers hoping to get better acquainted with their new steeds would have been disappointed, as the first day of running was a complete washout.

Torrential rain in the Bahrain desert limited the first day of running dramatically.

Still, times were put on the board and it was MP Motorsport’s Dennis Hauger who set the fastest lap after 17 tours of the Sakhir International Circuit(1:53.175s).

Maloney was second fastest after completing 15 laps in the wet conditions with a time of 1:53.351s and 2023 Rookie of the Year Victor Martins completed the top three after clocking just 13 laps and setting a fastest time of 1:53.367s for ART Grand Prix.

Undoubtedly a lot of attention will be fixated on rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli and the hotly-rated Mercedes Junior Driver set the most amount of laps in his PREMA machine on Sunday, 24 to be precise en route to setting the fourth fastest time (1:53.511s).

“The opening day was quite uncommon as we got a full day of rain,” said Antonelli after his F2 journey continued under rainy skies. “But it was nice to get some driving on the wet to understand how the car and tyres were behaving. It was productive.”

“It’s nice to see yourself at the top, there’s no better feeling than that,” said Hauger at the end of the first day’s running.

“I’m still keen to get started tomorrow properly and then do some dry stints. There’s going to be a lot of stuff to test because now we only have two days and we haven’t been out there on a dry track yet, so there’s going to be a lot of stuff to figure out.”

Day 2

With the first day of running a washout, the remaining two days were vital as teams and drivers raced to get valuable data amid dry running.

The morning session was all about putting laps on the board, with all but three of the 22 competitors failing to log at least 20 laps and Hitech’s Amaury Cordeel clocking the most with 37.

Invicta Racing’s Kush Maini emerged quickest in Monday Morning’s running setting a time of 1:44.219s.

In the afternoon, lap times improved significantly and in the final hour, Maloney posted a 1:41.501s laptime that would not only end up fastest of the day after 31 laps of running, but of the entire three-day test.

“I think that’s a good sign,” the sophomore F2 driver said after the end of Day Two.

“I mean, I was six-tenths off the whole three days of testing last year, so I can only take it as a good sign and we’ll see going into tomorrow and then of course, with the short turnaround to round one.

“This morning, we mainly focused on race running and then this afternoon, performance runs – similar to everyone else up and down the grid. So, it’s good to get in dry after yesterday being so wet, good to get our first day in the car done proper and we came out the box quite strong.”

Second behind Maloney at the end of Monday’s running was recently announced Aston Martin Development Driver Jak Crawford in his DAMS machine, setting a 1:41.626s laptime during his 29-lap stint.

Third went to Van Amersfoort Racing’s Enzo Fittipaldi, who clocked 33 laps and a fastest time of 1:41.735s.

Day 3

Race simulations were the order of the day in the final morning of the test, with Joshua Duerksen of PHM AIX Racing setting a lengthy 51 laps to clock the most mileage out of anyone.

Only one driver failed to complete at least 20 laps and 17 completed more than 30, including Campos Racing’s Isack Hadjar, who topped the timesheets after 39 laps running with a 1:45.331s laptime.

Hadjar’s Campos team-mate Josep María Martí completed 41 laps and set the second fastest time in the morning, a 1:45.547s and the top three in the penultimate session of the three-day test was completed by Maini, who set a 1:46.310s laptime during his 48 tours of the circuit.

Into the afternoon, and the pace was turned up a bit, with Maloney once again pushing the pace.

The Barbadian Driver, a member of Suaber’s Academy, ended the final day fastest with a time of 1:42.468s.

Crawford was runner-up once again, setting a time of 1:42.661s ahead of Maloney’s Rodin teammate and reigning Super Formula Champion Ritomo Miyata, who clocked a 1:42.684s laptime.

The F2 field will now have time to reflect on the pre-season test before returning to Bahrain for Round 1 on February 29 – March 02.

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Sauber Motorsports announced Wednesday that Barbadian FIA Formula 2 driver Zane Maloney has been inducted into its driver development programme – Maloney will also share Reserve Driver duties for Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber with fellow Sauber Academy driver and reigning F2 Champion Théo Pourchaire.

Maloney, 20, born in Bridgetown, Barbados began his motorsports career at the early age of three and progressed through karting ranks in his homeland and the United States before heading to Europe in 2018.

Following further success in European-based Karting, Maloney made the jump to single-seaters in 2019, scoring 10 race wins en route to the British Formula 4 title.

From Britain, Maloney graduated to the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine and latterly FIA Formula 3 – finishing runner-up in his maiden year of F3 with Trident after scoring three race wins.

The former Red Bull Junior then progressed to F2 for 2023, embarking on a rookie campaign with Rodin Motorsports (formerly known as Rodin Carlin) whereupon he scored a podium in his first round and added an additional three rostrum finishes throughout the year to finish 10th in the standings and third rookie.

Continuing with Rodin in F2 for 2024, Maloney will now be supported by the Sauber Academy and will also support Stake F1 Team (Sauber) across numerous Grand Prix weekends as reserve driver – alongside 2023 F2 champion Pourchaire, who will campaign in the Japanese Super Formula series in 2024.

In addition to his F2 role with Rodin and Reserve role with Stake F1, Maloney was recently announced as a reserve for Andretti’s Formula E squad.

“We are delighted to welcome Zane as the latest addition to the Sauber Academy,” said Sauber Academy Director Beat Zehnder.

“His path through the junior series has been remarkable so far and, with his speed and potential, he surely makes a great addition to our talented roster.

“In addition to his Formula 2 campaign, where he will aim to succeed our own Théo Pourchaire to the title, Zane will also share with him the Reserve Driver role for Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber.

“On behalf of the whole team, I give him my warmest welcome onboard, and look forward to working together and achieving great success.”

Maloney added in saying that he’s “honoured to join the Sauber Academy, and to take on the role of one of Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber’s Reserve Drivers.

“The Sauber name resonates with Formula One, as it has been part of the sport for over thirty years, paving the way for so many drivers who went on to achieve great success.

“I am pleased to become part of this family, and I am looking forward to working together this season, as I move closer to my goal of becoming a Formula One driver.”

Maloney’s sophomore F2 season begins with testing in Bahrain on February 11-13, followed by Round 1 on February 29 – March 02.

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Rodin Carlin has announced that Japanese driver Ritomo Miyata will complete the switch to Formula 2 for the team next year, partnering with Zane Maloney.

Toyota confirmed earlier this week that Miyata will contest a dual racing schedule in both Formula 2 and European Le Mans Series across the 2024 season.

It has now been revealed that the 24-year-old will transition from Super Formula into F2 with the Rodin Carlin squad, which has also elected to retain Maloney.

Having scored two victories and six podium finishes, Miyata took the Super Formula championship this year, beating Red Bull-backed driver Liam Lawson to the title.

Meanwhile, Miyata also secured the Super GT title in 2023, registering three race wins and four podiums to seal the crown.

“I’m excited to join Rodin Carlin and participate in FIA F2 for the 2024 season,” Miyata said. “Rodin Carlin has lots of experience and have achieved great things in the series. For me, it is my first time driving a Formula 2 car and the tracks on the calendar, so I have a lot to learn but I’m really looking forward to working with the team.

“I would like to thank Morizo-san, TGR staff, all the partners and Rodin Carlin who created this opportunity and supported me to race in FIA F2 this season. I will do my best to meet everyone’s expectations.”

Miyata will conduct his F2 bow alongside Maloney, who graduated to the second-tier category this season with Rodin Carlin after placing second in Formula 3 in 2022.

Maloney, who joined the Red Bull Junior Team in December 2022, wound up 10th in his debut campaign in F2, achieving four podiums to accumulate a total of 96 points.

The Barbadian racer, 20, also participated in a Free Practice session in Formula E in Rome this year and will be the reserve and development driver for Andretti in 2023-24.

Maloney expressed that he was pleased with the progress he had made throughout this year and is confident the team can be competitive from the outset in 2024.

“I’m really pleased to be remaining with the team for the 2024 season,” Maloney added. “I feel as though I’ve learned so much this year on track and I really believe we’re in a good place to hit the ground running next year.

“I’ve been with the team for three out of my five years in single-seaters so it’s like a family here; I’m looking forward to continuing that relationship and going for the championship together in 2024.”

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