This driver drops out running for Sauber seat and opts for Formula E
- Ludo van Denderen
Zane Maloney will definitely not become Sauber's new driver in Formula 1. The Swiss team's reserve driver will start working in Formula E, having signed a contract with the new Lola Yamaha ABT team.
Maloney currently competes in Formula 2. The Barbadian driver recently stated that his full focus was on finding a seat in Formula 1 and that he was not looking at other series—despite testing for Andretti's Formula E team. A month later, Maloney opted for Formula E after all. At Lola Yamaha, he will be teammates with Lucas di Grassi.
Maloney looking forward to 'exciting challenge'
"I am delighted to be part of the Lola Yamaha ABT team and looking forward to this exciting challenge," said Maloney. "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."
His new team are delighted with the appointment. “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," said Till Bechtolsheimer, Chairman of Lola Cars Ltd. “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."
This article has been created in collaboration with Matt Gretton