LONDON, CMC—Emerging Barbadian international race car driver Zane Maloney said his strong start to this year’s Formula 2 season had reassured him that he belongs more than anything and that his dream of a seat in Formula 1 was still possible.
The 20-year-old Rodin Motorsport driver has secured three podium finishes this season and currently leads the drivers’ standings with 67 points from the first three rounds of the year.
Maloney is 15 points clear of his nearest rival, Hitech Pulse-Eight driver Paul Aron of Estonia, heading into the European calendar between May and August when the drivers will tackle circuits at Imola, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Spielberg, Silverstone, Budapest, Spa-Francorchamps, and Monza.
“It’s been good, of course,” Maloney said. “I think we have started the season solid in pre-season testing in Bahrain and carried that form over.
“For sure, it’s still been a difficult start just with trying to be close to the front all the time in qualifying to set up good race weekends, but we’ve done that, other than Jeddah (in Saudi Arabia), we’ve qualified in the top five.
“Jeddah was the main circuit so far this year, and we didn’t maximize our pace just because of the problems in qualifying. Of course, it’s a perfect start, but many things could have gone better and worse.”
Maloney’s highlight so far was his opening weekend at the Grand Prix in Sakhir, Bahrain, where he completed the double, winning both the sprint and feature races to kick off his second F2 season in grand style.
“It was a perfect weekend, something that I had dreamt of many times,” he said. “But when it happened, it just told me that you can do the job, and you are here for the right reasons, and you can do these things.
“It just reassured me that I am good enough to be in F2 and to win races in F2, and I think from then on, it has helped me be more confident in myself and know that every time I go on track, if I do a good job, I will be close to the front.”
He added, “I think that is one thing that I have had throughout my career—knowing that, but in F2 last year, it was a bit difficult to keep that faith when things weren’t going well, so that was the main feeling behind it.
“(The two wins) gave me 36 points as well, which is amazing. We got two wins in Bahrain and another podium in Australia in the feature race, but it’s not guaranteed that we will get more wins and podiums the rest of the year. We need to keep trying to improve as a team, me as a driver, and continue on the path that we are on.”
The turnaround in Maloney’s fortunes has been notable because he was languishing in mid-table at the same stage last season and had only one podium finish, and prospects for more looked quite thin.
He attributes his success this season to experience – a better understanding of the car and the requirements of race driving at this level.
“I think that last year I just had a bit of the wrong mindset coming into race weekends,” he said. “Nothing has clicked, but a mindset change has allowed me to get more out of the car.
“Every time I drive and just focus on each session, whether it’s practice, qualifying, testing, or racing, it doesn’t matter. I try to be as fast as possible in every condition, so that is what has changed from my side.
He said it was a bit annoying because last year, he had the potential to do what he is doing now, but he did not achieve his goals because of the wrong mindset and not getting the most out of the car.
“Last year, all my podiums were in the feature race, so every time I had a good weekend, I was on the podium in the feature race, and the other result was at the back of the grid,” he said. “So that’s the main difference.
“I understand more about the car, the team, and everything. But in F3, my main strength was qualifying. I was always in the top three, whereas in F2 last year, that was the opposite. That shows everything. It wasn’t my potential, but we must keep pushing as a team.”
Maloney and the Rodin team will get a chance to tweak the cars and prepare for the rest of the Championship when they head to Barcelona for three days of in-season testing on April 23.
“To be honest, it’s always too early to think about (the F2 title) from a driver’s point of view,” he said. My dream is to be an F1 champion, and I just want to do whatever I can to become an F1 driver. If that’s winning the F2 championship in any way possible, I will try to do it.
“I am not focused on the (title); I think I will be once. Hopefully, I am the champion. I believe you need to focus on the hard work to get results, and if I can get a P4 (fourth) in a race, I will not settle for a P5 (fifth) because I am thinking about the Championship.
“I think that is the mindset I go into racing in general, just trying to maximize each weekend with everything we can, with all my ability and all the team’s ability. Then, at the end of the weekend, you can have a quick look at the championship standings, and at the end of the year, you will see.”
F2 is the second tier of the F1 world championship, which is organized by the FIA, motor sport’s world governing body, and held on select circuits on the Grand Prix schedule.
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