It didn’t take long for Zane Maloney to put his stamp on the 2024 Formula 2 season.
The 20-year-old Barbadian driving sensation shocked the racing world and established himself as a leading contender for the title, when he came from eighth position on the grid to win the season opening sprint race at the Bahrain International Circuit on Friday.
The Rodin Motorsport driver made his way to the front of the field to claim victory by over five seconds from pole-winner Jak Crawford, and capture his maiden F2 win in his second year.
The result propelled Rodin Motorsport to the top of the Championship standings on 11 points, tied with Campos.
Maloney, a Stake F1 reserve driver, climbed from eighth thanks in part to a nice overtaking move on first Enzo Fittipaldi and later on the then frontrunner Crawford on Lap 8 of 23.
Pepe Marti, a member of the Red Bull Junior Team, finished third behind the pair.
Maloney’s Rodin teammate Ritomo Miyata, finished in ninth position.
“Of course, I’m very happy to win the race, we started in P8, got a great start and the team just gave me an amazing car. So, it is all down to them, and we will go for it tomorrow,” Maloney said after his victory, with the first feature race of the season set to drive off on Saturday.
“It was an amazing race. I started with a great start and then a good first two laps. I always put my car in the right place, which was good. And then after that, to be honest, I was happy to settle in my position and try to save the tyres a bit.
“But while saving the tyres I was still keeping up, so then I decided to just go for it, get in with the [battling] and then think about the tyres after that, which I did. It worked out very well, and the team gave me a great car, so that’s the reason [I won],” he explained.
Maloney, who will start in third position on the grid in Saturday’s feature race, said another win is in his sights.
“I didn’t think I was going to win today, but the plan was to try and win tomorrow [Saturday],” admitted Maloney, who pre-event had emphasised that improved qualifying form was key to his victory prospects.
It was the perfect start to Maloney’s 2024 season after a tough rookie campaign in 2023, where he finished 10th overall after scoring points only three times in the final 16 races. (RB)
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