Zane Maloney will become the second youngest driver in Formula E history when he takes to the track in 2024/25.
The Bajan driver will be joining ABT for Season 11 after the team secured a new and exciting partnership with Lola and Yamaha.
The German outfit, who will run under the name Lola Yamaha ABT, will be hoping to improve their fortunes and climb back up the grid. The team finished ninth in the Teams’ Championship last season, scoring 56 points across the year with Nico Muller registering the team’s best finish with four at Misano.
With Maloney coming in as a rookie, ABT will be hoping he will bring a bright spark to the team. Lola were impressed by Maloney even before his first Formula E test due to his performances in Formula 2 this year.
Lucas di Grassi is ‘so motivated’ at Lola Yamaha ABT during testing for Season 11
The 20-year-old teammate for the 2024/25 season will be Lucas di Grassi, who is the most experienced driver on the Formula E grid. At the age of 40, the Brazilian has competed in every season in the all-electric series since its inaugural year in 2014/15.
Throughout his time in the series, di Grassi has grabbed 13 wins and 40 podiums, and won the 2016/17 title over the defending champion and fellow former F1 driver Sebastien Buemi.
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In recent years, di Grassi has struggled to find the form he had in earlier seasons. In Season Nine with Mahindra, he finished 15th in the standings with a podium at the opening race in Mexico. The 40-year-old has not grabbed a podium since, and in 2023/24, he endured his worst season to date, scoring just four points as he finished down in 23rd.
But according to Maloney while speaking with Peter Windsor on his YouTube channel, that has not stopped di Grassi in his efforts to improve the team, as the Bajan driver lauded his motivation during testing.
“I mean, you can see straight away in testing how motivated he is,” he said.
“I think he sees something amazing in what’s going on as well, and I think me coming in as the new driver, seeing someone so motivated, who’s been in it for a long time.
“I mean, it’s easy for him to go home and he’s done everything in his career to sit down and watch racing. But for me to choose to be part of this, I think it says everything and I’m looking forward to pushing together with him.”
Can Lola Yamaha ABT perform in the Gen3 Evo era?
As Season 11 fast approaches, the Gen3 Evo era of FE is set to bring a new level of excitement and competition to the series.
The new machine is the fastest car in an FIA championship, being able to accelerate from 0-60mph in just 1.82 seconds, which is 30% faster than a current F1 car.
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With the team’s difficulties last year, ABT will be hoping that the huge strides they have made off the track with Lola and Yamaha will translate to performance on the track.
With the experience of di Grassi and the young energy of Maloney as their driver pairing, the team will certainly be one of the most interesting heading into the 2024/25 season.