Junior Driver Ditches Sauber Formula 1 Option For Formula E

Saajan Jogia | Sep 25, 2024

May 3, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Kick Sauber driver Zhou Gunayu (24) races into turn one during F1 practice at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images / John David Mercer-Imagn Images

Formula 2 driver Zane Maloney has chosen to pursue a future in Formula E over a potential opportunity with the Sauber F1 team, where he currently serves as a reserve driver. Maloney has signed a new contract with the Lola Yamaha ABT team for the upcoming season in Formula E.

The Barbadian driver initially aimed to secure a seat in Formula 1, despite testing for Andretti’s Formula E team. This ambition may have been fueled by the promising prospect at Sauber, which holds the last available seat in F1 and will be rebranded as Audi within two years, when the German manufacturer fully takes over the Hinwil outfit, transforming it into the Audi Works team in 2026.

Just a month later, Maloney ultimately chose the single-seater electric class. At Lola Yamaha, he will team up with Lucas di Grassi, a driver Maloney has closely followed. Speaking about the new signing, the 20-year-old driver said in a statement:

"I am delighted to be part of the Lola Yamaha ABT team and looking forward to this exciting challenge.

"Although I already know the championship well, this is a completely new chapter for me, so working with such an experienced team, and alongside such a successful driver, is the perfect next step. I’ve followed and admired Lucas’s battles over the past seasons, including when he became champion. I’m sure that I will learn a lot from him and together we will push both ourselves and the development of the car forward."

Speaking about Maloney's onboarding, his new team believes it now has "an ideal combination" of youth and experience with the updated driver lineup. Till Bechtolsheimer, chairman of Lola Cars Ltd., said in a statement:

“We’re delighted to welcome Zane to the team for the upcoming Formula E season, completing our driver pairing as one of the most exciting on next season’s grid.

“Zane is a hugely talented young driver with an abundance of speed and potential and, alongside Lucas, we have an ideal combination of youth and experience. Zane has demonstrated his abilities in a variety of junior categories and proven himself as a race winner, and we’re looking forward to seeing him get behind the wheel in testing, and then at round one in São Paulo."

Meanwhile, the Sauber F1 team continues to search for the ideal driver to secure the seat alongside Nico Hulkenberg next year. Speculated contenders for the seat include current Sauber driver Valtteri Bottas and F2 championship leader Gabriel Bortoleto.