MONZA, Italy, CMC – Barbadian Zane Maloney produced an impressive driving performance to finish second in the feature race at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza in the Formula 2 Championship here on Sunday.
The Barbadian was in line to capture his second first-place finish of the season, but a safety car opened the door for championship rival Gabriel Bortoleto to steal the win.
Trident’s Richard Verschoor placed third.
This means that Maloney now sits third in the championship standings with 135 points, trailing Bortoleto, who has 154.5. Isack Hadjar, who finished 11th, is the current championship leader with 165 points.
It was Maloney’s seventh podium finish of the season as F2 heads to Baku for round 12 from September 13 to 15.
After the race, Maloney posted on his Instagram: “We did everything we needed to…just unlucky with the safety car timing. It was a great weekend anyway, and we left Monza knowing the job we did as a team. Thanks, everyone, for the support!!”
Fresh from securing his first F2 pole position on Friday, Maloney lined up ready to take on the challenges of the 30-lap race. However, after an incident on lap 7, a safety car was called, which neutralized the race.
Maloney, who led then, followed by Hadjar and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, dove into the pits for their mandatory pit stops. As they emerged, a yellow flag at turn 1 signaled a safety car deployment, the second of the day.
With the field now neutralized and all drivers lapping at a reduced speed, Invicta Racing’s Bortoleto and Trident’s Richard Verschoor, who had stayed out longer, took advantage of the situation to pit and re-join the race ahead of Maloney.
This shake-up left the Barbadian in a challenging position, now chasing the two eventual front-runners while five other drivers, including Bortoleto’s teammate Kush Maini, were still ahead and had not yet pitted.
By lap 12, 20-year-old Maloney showcased his racing prowess, overtaking Verschoor out of Ascari and setting his sights on Bortoleto. The following laps saw intense battles throughout the field. Bortoleto made a DRS pass to move into second, while Maloney climbed back to fourth after a daring move on DAMS Lucas Oil’s Juan Manuel Correa.
On lap 17, Bortoleto took the lead from his teammate Maini at the Roggia Chicane. Still in fourth, Maloney continued to push hard, but with Maini and MP Motorsport’s Oliver Goethe yet to pit, the race’s outcome remained uncertain.
On the following lap, Maloney attempted a move on Goethe at the same chicane but had to abort to the run-off area, conceding the position temporarily before overtaking and moving into third.
And then, on the penultimate lap, Maini finally pitted, reshuffling the order once more. As the race concluded, Maloney’s efforts earned him a solid second-place finish, securing valuable points.
and then 