Maloney joins Abt Lola Formula E team
Abt Lola has completed its Formula E line-up with the signing of Zane Maloney. The Barbadian will join Lucas di Grassi at the team.
Maloney has been serving as the Andretti Formula E team’s test and reserve driver this year, having taken part in the 2023 rookie test with the team. He’s dovetailed his Formula E commitments with a Formula 2 campaign, where he won both the sprint and feature races in Bahrain and currently sits third in the standings. He’s also been Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber’s reserve driver this season.
“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.”
Championship-winning team Abt has partnered with Lola for the upcoming season, in what will be Lola’s return to motorsport after a lengthy absence. The legendary British marque has aligned with Yamaha to produce a drivetrain package for the series’ new GEN3 Evo ruleset which comes into force this season.
“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 Lola chairman Till Bechtolsheimer. “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.”
In partnering with di Grassi, Abt Lola has a blend of youth and experience on its side, with di Grassi among Formula E’s most experienced drivers. The Brazilian has 13 wins — including the very first race of the category in Beijing in 2014 — as well as the Season 3 championship title.
“We are very much looking forward to having Zane as part of the team for Season 11, and he has already brought a breath of fresh air during our first days working together,” added ABT CEO Thomas Biermaier. “Giving young talent a chance and supporting them has been a strong tradition at ABT for many decades and that’s why it was clear to us that we would also follow this path in Formula E.”
Maloney has already testing for Abt Cupra in Varano, Italy, and will be driving again in Spain this week. The 11th season of Formula E starts in earnest with the official pre-season test in Valencia in the first week of November before racing kicks off in São Paulo on Dec. 7.
“We won’t know how good our package is until São Paulo,” admitted Maloney. “I am confident that I have the raw speed to be competitive, but experience is key in Formula E, so I will do everything I can to catch up here as quickly as possible.”