After finishing an impressive fourth in the 2024 FIA Formula 2 Drivers’ Championship, Zane Maloney earned a well-deserved promotion to Formula E for the 2024–2025 season with the newly formed Lola Yamaha ABT Formula E Team. With this move, Maloney became the second 2024 F2 graduate to step up to the all-electric series. Taylor Barnard, who competed for AIX Racing before leaving after the Spa-Francorchamps round, also made the jump—rejoining the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team after substituting for Sam Bird in the Monaco and Berlin E-Prix.
As Formula E continues to expand, more and more F2 drivers are aligning themselves with teams in the championship. While Maloney and Barnard have secured full-time race seats, others have taken up development roles. Alex Dunne (NEOM McLaren), Kush Maini (Mahindra Racing), and Jak Crawford (Andretti), all currently racing in F2, have taken on responsibilities as test or reserve drivers. This growing crossover underscores the increasing appeal of Formula E as a serious career pathway for young single-seater talent.
Maloney “couldn’t look past” persuading Lola Yamaha ABT FE project
In an exclusive interview at the 2025 Monaco E-Prix, Pit Debrief asked Maloney about the factors that had pulled him toward Formula E, and his current team, Lola Yamaha ABT.
While the rookie driver admitted that Formula E had been one of several options that he and his management team had considered, he stated that he had been persuaded by the “amazing” opportunity offered by Lola Yamaha ABT.
“I kind of let my management, ADD management, see the options, and we have the conversations about every option that there is. I think there were IndyCar options, of course, there were Formula E options.”
“And in general, I mean, [at] Lola Yamaha, the opportunity was amazing. A new team coming in, so much motivation, a long-term project. I couldn’t really look past that. So I obviously had that great opportunity.”
Despite choosing to continue his racing career in Formula E, however, Maloney acknowledged the lures of Indycar, which noted had been the favoured choice for other drivers like Dennis Hauger, now competing in Indy NXT with Andretti Global, and 2021 F2 runner-up Robert Schwartman, now driving the No. 83 Chevrolet for PREMA Racing.
“IndyCar is an amazing series with great cars as well to race. Obviously, I see a lot of drivers from F2 kind of moving over there as well, which is cool.”
“But I’m enjoying myself here,” he added.
However, while Maloney enjoys Formula E and is grateful for the opportunity provided by Lola Yamaha, he admitted that Formula 1 remains his ultimate goal.
“And as a child, obviously, growing up, F1 is the dream, the goal. For me, to be honest, that doesn’t change. But yeah, being in Formula E now with Lola [Yamaha] is an amazing opportunity.”
A difficult start to his Formula E career
Though grateful for the “amazing opportunity” to develop his career in Formula E, Zane Maloney has endured a challenging start to his rookie campaign. With seven rounds of the season now complete, the Lola Yamaha ABT driver remains near the bottom of the championship standings, having yet to score a point. Despite completing every race he has entered, Maloney continues to search for a breakthrough.
His teammate, seasoned veteran Lucas di Grassi, has also struggled. The Brazilian failed to score in the opening four rounds, retiring early in the season opener in São Paulo and suffering disqualification in the first Jeddah race. However, he bounced back with a second-place finish in Miami, securing both his and the team’s first points of the season. Yet, any hopes of building momentum were dashed in Monaco, where the Lola Yamaha squad endured another difficult weekend.
A disastrous Monaco E-Prix weekend for Lola Yamaha ABT
Despite setting his sights on more consistent points-scoring results following his Miami podium, di Grassi’s Monaco outing fell short. On Saturday, he narrowly missed out on the top ten, finishing P13—just 1.765 seconds shy of the final points-paying position. Maloney, too, faced frustration. After a disastrous Qualifying left him at the back of the grid, he made early gains using ATTACK MODE. However, a technical issue forced him into the pit lane. Following a longer-than-usual stop, he rejoined but was well out of contention, eventually finishing P21.
Sunday offered a glimmer of hope, with Maloney starting ninth and di Grassi eleventh. However, the race quickly unravelled. Di Grassi collided with Jake Dennis during an ambitious overtake attempt, ending his race in the barriers. Meanwhile, Maloney battled hard to stay within the points-paying positions, putting up a valiant defence. Unfortunately, his efforts were in vain. He fell out of the points by the end of the race, before a five-second time penalty for repeated track limits violations sealed his fate. He finished Sunday’s race P14, outside the points once again.
Maloney “maximised the car” on Sunday at the Monaco E-Prix
In a media release after the race, Maloney stated that he was happy with the outcome of the race, despite leaving Monaco without points. He explained that he believed that he had maximised the performance of his car, both in Qualifying and the later race.
“It was a great qualifying for the team in the wet and I think we really maximised the car. I was a little bit disappointed to not make the duels as I was only a few hundredths away and there was definitely more than that in my lap, so overall I’m happy with the result.”
He especially praised the team’s performance in the wet, noting their “great communication” and strong strategy. However, he identified that a struggle for pace in the dry conditions had proved detrimental.
“During the race, we were relatively very strong in the wet, had great communication and maximised our strategy but when the track dried out we struggled for pace.”
Maloney also praised the Lola Yamaha ABT’s development rate and the team’s efforts to improve their performance on race weekends.
“As a new team the development rate is quite high and the team is working very hard to move us up the field.”
Maloney to continue hunt for points in Toyko
Looking ahead, Lola Yamaha ABT will aim to reset and regroup ahead of the Tokyo E-Prix in two weeks’ time. Although results have been elusive, the team continues to treat each race as a development opportunity—fine-tuning their package in pursuit of long-term gains. With every outing providing valuable data and lessons, they remain hopeful that their takeaways from Monaco will translate into improved performance and consistency in Japan.
Ultimately, the team will be eager to move beyond isolated moments of promise and establish itself as a regular contender in the championship. For Maloney, a strong showing in Tokyo could mark the beginning of a much-needed turning point in his season.
