Zane Maloney heads into Formula 2’s European leg with a comfortable lead in the championship standings after a stellar start to 2024. The Barbadian is 15 points ahead of nearest rival Paul Aron as Imola looms, and history suggests the Rodin Motorsport driver may leave Italy still atop the standings.

By Jim Kimberley

Maloney’s first FRECA podium in 2021 came at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in the opening round, and he led a Trident front-row lock-out in his 2022 rookie F3 campaign. Unsurprisingly, “The Boy from Barbados” is a fan of the track.

“I love Imola,” Maloney states, beaming a bright smile. “From the first time I drove here… I kind of love the nature of the circuit. A lot of high-speed [corners], a little bit of slow speed as well, but the track is a bit like Spa with the undulation, and it’s a very technical track. So, I’ve always loved that type of circuit like Spa and Imola. They’re all quite similar.

“There are some tracks on the calendar that I’ve never been off the podium, like Monaco, which is my favourite, and I look forward to going. Imola… I’ve always been quick here. We’ve done dry races, wet races, and I’ve always had a good time.

“Of course… that doesn’t mean that you’re going to have a good weekend coming into it this year. But that’s the goal, and that’s what we’re working towards as a team. And yeah, that’s really what we’re looking to do is to win some races in Imola.”

Imola represents an eight-race run of familiar European circuits that many junior drivers have raced on for years. Maloney nearly took the 2022 F3 title after his feature race-winning ways around the continent. We asked whether that is something that he’s looking forward to in the upcoming busy months.

“I think that when I started winning in F3, it just gave me more confidence,” Maloney explained. “I was very fast all year, and I was getting poles, I was getting top three every time in qualifying pretty much… but then something would go wrong in the race from my side or something else. So, when I really got that first win and gained that confidence, it continued on.

“Luckily, I got the first win [of 2024] in Bahrain, gained some confidence there, and hopefully, we can just continue the trajectory that we’re going on. I mean, even in the year that we’ve had so far, there could have been many better things from my side as well. So, that’s really what I’m working towards.

“In terms of the car, the team have been giving me a great car to be on the podium every single round, so yeah, I just need to kind of refine my driving and have some confidence in myself and the team, which I do. And, of course, I don’t expect to win every race, but I expect to do the best job with what I have.”

Maloney already has more wins than 2023 Formula 2 champion and fellow Sauber Academy member Théo Pourchaire. With this month’s Imola-Monaco double-header featuring two of his favourite circuits where he’s excelled in the past, May might be a fruitful month for the F2 championship leader.

Header photo credit: Kick Sauber