Zane Maloney completed his second Formula E campaign in 2025/26, scoring three points across the 17-race season with Lola Yamaha ABT. The Barbadian finished 20th in the Drivers’ Championship after securing three top-10 finishes, improving on a rookie campaign in which he had failed to score.
While the results remained limited, Maloney showed signs of development throughout the season. He scored his first Formula E points at the opening round in São Paulo before later reaching the Duels for the first time in Berlin. The German double-header became one of the strongest weekends of his campaign, while another points finish followed in Tokyo.
Maiden Formula E points arrive in São Paulo
Maloney started the 2025/26 Formula E season in São Paulo looking to build on the experience gained during his rookie campaign with Lola Yamaha ABT. The opening race initially saw him finish outside the points. However, a post-race penalty for Felipe Drugovich promoted Maloney to 10th and handed him the first point of his Formula E career.
It immediately gave Maloney a better start than he had managed throughout the entirety of his debut season, where his best result had been 11th. However, turning that opening result into consistent points proved difficult. Maloney continued to spend much of the early part of the season fighting outside the top 10 as Lola Yamaha ABT worked to improve its package.
Tokyo brings another points finish despite difficult weekend
Maloney returned to the points during the Tokyo E-Prix of the 2025/26 Formula E season after overcoming a challenging weekend. A gearbox change resulted in a significant grid penalty and left him facing an uphill task. Despite the setback, he recovered during the second race of the weekend.
Starting 15th, Maloney made progress through the field and eventually crossed the line in 10th. The result added another point to his championship total and provided another example of his ability to move forward when starting further down the order. It also came at an important stage of the campaign, with opportunities to score remaining limited for Lola Yamaha ABT.
Berlin qualifying breakthrough highlights Maloney’s progress
Berlin produced the clearest indication of Maloney’s progress during his second Formula E season. He reached the qualifying Duels for the first time in his Formula E career during the opening day of the double-header. Maloney eventually secured seventh on the grid, putting himself in a strong position ahead of the race.
The race also provided another career first as Maloney briefly moved into the lead. He and teammate Lucas di Grassi ran at the front during part of the contest, giving Lola Yamaha ABT a rare opportunity to lead the field. Maloney again showed strong qualifying pace on the second day and secured sixth on the grid. However, he could not convert the starting position into another points finish and eventually dropped to 17th.
Despite the disappointing race result, Berlin remained one of Maloney’s strongest weekends of the year. Reaching the Duels on consecutive occasions demonstrated an improvement in his qualifying performances and showed that he could compete further up the grid when the package allowed.
Difficulties continue to restrict scoring opportunities
The remainder of Maloney’s campaign featured several difficult weekends, with penalties and technical issues adding to the challenge. A crash during practice in Monaco disrupted his preparations, while later rounds also brought component changes and subsequent grid penalties.
In Sanya, issues with the car contributed to another difficult weekend before changes to the inverter and gearbox resulted in further penalties heading into Shanghai. Maloney also received an additional penalty following a red-flag speeding infringement.
Those setbacks made it increasingly difficult to build momentum during the second half of the season. While there were occasional flashes of pace, Maloney regularly found himself needing to recover from further down the field rather than fighting for points from the beginning of races.
Second season shows progress despite limited points haul
Maloney eventually ended the 2025/26 Formula E season with three points and 20th in the Drivers’ Championship. The final total remained modest, particularly compared with teammate di Grassi, who scored 32 points during the campaign. However, Maloney still made several important steps forward compared with his rookie season.
He scored his first Formula E points, reached the qualifying Duels for the first time and led a Formula E race for the first time. Berlin in particular showed the level Maloney could reach when both qualifying and the car came together. Consistency remained his biggest challenge. Strong individual sessions rarely developed into complete weekends, while penalties and technical setbacks also reduced his opportunities to score.
Nevertheless, Maloney leaves his second Formula E campaign with significantly more experience than he had one year earlier. His performances were enough to earn him a move to Nissan for the 2026/27 season, where he will partner reigning World Champion Oliver Rowland as Formula E enters the GEN4 era.
The move represents a major opportunity for Maloney after two seasons with Lola Yamaha ABT. His 2025/26 results may not immediately stand out on paper, but the campaign showed clear signs of progress and provided several important milestones ahead of the next stage of his Formula E career.
