Zane Maloney may have been snubbed of a chance of reaching Formula 1 in 2025, but he will be stepping out of junior racing.
The Barbadian is currently in his second full season in Formula 2 with Rodin Motorsport. Maloney sits third in the standings with two rounds to go, having grabbed two wins and seven podiums across the year so far.
However, the 21-year-old will not complete the season as he will be making the move to Formula E with Lola Yamaha ABT for Season 11. Due to his new commitments to the all-electric series, Maloney will miss the F2 finale in Abu Dhabi as it clashes with the Sao Paulo ePrix.
Maloney will link up with FE veteran Lucas di Grassi for next season and he becomes the second youngest driver in the series’ history after Taylor Barnard, who has also moved from F2 and has signed with McLaren.
The Barbadian is part of the Sauber Academy, but the Swiss opted to sign his F2 rival Gabriel Bortoleto to their second seat for 2025. Despite this, Maloney expressed what was ‘great to see’ about his competitors getting chances in F1 in an interview with talkSPORT Driving.
Zane Maloney says it is ‘great to see’ teams taking risks on rookies in motorsport
Bortoleto is the latest F2 driver to be confirmed as a rookie in F1 in 2025, as he follows Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman, who will race with Mercedes and Haas respectively.
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Franco Colapinto has been afforded an opportunity this season with Williams and has impressed in only six races so far. Former F2 driver Liam Lawson is racing at RB for the remainder of the season, while Jack Doohan will join Alpine next year after serving as their reserve driver.
Maloney says that it is great that teams are ‘taking more risks with rookies’ in motorsport and that it doesn’t surprise him when they perform well after making the step up.
“I think it’s great to see. Of course, all of us that are racing in F2, we know how high the level is. We know how tough the competition is,” he said.
“To be honest, when I see those guys go and do well in Formula 1 or us come over and do well in Formula E, it doesn’t surprise me.
“It’s great to see teams taking the risk with rookies now, that’s a great thing for motorsports in general, and it just shows that the level coming up even in F4 now, in karting and F3 is very high and the competition is very high.
“We’re just all trying to do the best job possible and we all have confidence in ourselves, so it’s great to see what’s happening.”
Zane Maloney could potentially stay with Sauber in 2025
The 21-year-old was never really in contention for an F1 seat in 2025, with Sauber being ‘supportive over Maloney’s move to FE next year.
The Barbadian hinted at the idea of staying with the Swiss outfit next season as part of their academy. Sauber will undergo a huge chance in 2026 as they become a factory Audi team.
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It has been very common for former F1 drivers to brand out into FE after leaving the pinnacle of motorsport, with the likes of di Grassi, Jean-Eric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne all winning titles.
But is has been rare that an FE driver gets an opportunity in F1, but Nyck de Vries proved this is not impossible with his appearance with Williams in 2022 and later with AlphaTauri in 2023.
It is possible that Maloney could have a future in F1 if he stays on with Sauber and later Audi, but for now, his commitment lies with getting ABT back up the field with their new partners Lola and Yamaha.