Exclusive: Zane Maloney talks Formula 2 ambitions in 2024

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.