Zane Maloney is enjoying a brilliant sophomore season in Formula 2 in 2024.
The Barbadian made his debut in Formula 2 at the final round of the 2022 season at Abu Dhabi with Trident, having raced with the team that year in Formula 3 where he finished runner-up to Victor Martins by just five points.
Having won the F4 British Championship in 2019 with Carlin, Maloney returned to the outfit under the Rodin Carlin name in a full-time seat in F2 in 2023, where he finished the year 10th in his debut season with four podiums.
The 20-year-old has seen significant improvements from his rookie year in 2024 as he currently sits third in the championship with two wins, one pole position and seven podiums. Speaking with the F2 website, Maloney outlines where he has made that improvement.
Zane Maloney outlines he has improved his consistency after his debut season in Formula 2
In his debut season in 2023, Maloney displayed that he was capable of scoring solid results, finishing third in the Feature Race at the opening round in Bahrain.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Zane Maloney from stats, family to racing career
However, the Barbadian struggled for consistency, finishing in the points on only eight occasions. Furthermore, he only scored points in both races of an event twice, coming in Australia and Monaco.
After finishing third in the Feature Race at the latter, Maloney failed to score at the next five races before finishing second in the Feature Race in Silverstone. However, he would register points only two more times after this result.
With more regular points finishes, more podiums and victories now added to his craft, Maloney outlined how he has improved his consistency having ‘really struggled’ last season.
“Last year, even as a rookie, we were very, very strong in certain areas on certain weekends. I think the problem was that we weren’t consistent, either on the podium or at the back of the field. So that was where we really struggled and I think as a team and myself, I’ve improved on that,” he said.
“I don’t really think it was anything to do with me being a rookie in F2, it was more just a mindset thing from my side, I didn’t really clock or get it right last year. I’m much stronger this year and happy with the improvements we’ve made, but the raw pace is the same. It’s been the same my whole career, it definitely gives us confidence to be able to do it every weekend.
“I’m expecting to be fast. I know there are many, many factors at play in getting a race win or podium, then we’ll see after that, hopefully some more good results are on the way.”
Zane Maloney sits third in the championship with two rounds to go
Maloney’s season got off to the best possible start, as he claimed his first two victories in F2 at both races in Bahrain.
The Barbadian has registered five more podiums throughout the year, finishing second in both races at Silverstone and at the Feature Race in Monza and finishing third in Australia and Imola.
Heading into the final two rounds of the championship in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, Maloney sits third in the standings, 34.5 points behind the leader Gabriel Bortoleto.
While he stands a mathematical chance of winning the title, it is most likely going to be deciding between Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar, with the latter sitting 30 points ahead of Maloney.