Photo: Formula Motorsport Ltd
Formula 2 racer Zane Maloney conducted his maiden IndyCar test with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course today.
While other IndyCar teams tested at the Gateway oval, RLLR took to a track that is the introductory point for many F2 to IndyCar converts so Maloney could focus on familiarising himself with a car that he is considering racing in 2025.
The 20-year-old Barbadan is currently in his sophomore F2 campaign and sits fourth in the standings 10 rounds in. He started the season on top with two wins at Bahrain, and made the feature race podium in Melbourne and sprint race podium at Imola before a run of just seven points in seven races was ended by finishing runner-up in both races at Silverstone.
The title is still in reach, and Maloney says “I don’t think I ever left the championship fight” but warns that “every weekend in F2 is a bit of an unknown” and that makes pace predictions for the remaining rounds difficult.
“I’d say that we’re in a good place. The pace is strong. The mentality is the same within the team as it has been when we won both races in Bahrain. So we’re just looking forward to kind of getting it on a sheet of paper because it means nothing without that. Other than the sheet of paper, everything’s going very well.”
Maloney has been flirting with the series at the top of the single-seater ladder since early 2023. Before starting his rookie F2 season (which he 10th in with four podiums), Red Bull Racing signed Maloney as one of its Formula 1 reserve drivers and added him to its junior team.
In April he drove for Andretti Global in Formula E’s rookie test, then was called up for free practice at the Rome E-Prix and in October for pre-season testing. The team then signed him as reserve driver, and he has now completed a season in that role with Andretti interested in retaining his services for 2025.
This January it was announced that Maloney was no longer affiliated with Red Bull and was now a member of the Sauber Academy and reserve driver for the Kick Sauber F1 team.
That has involved support from World Endurance champion and ex-F1 driver Allan McNish, an Audi Group director who in his motorsport coordination role has begun working with Sauber’s juniors ahead of Audi taking over its F1 entry in 2026.
“Yeah, I’ve been working with Allan. He’s an amazing driver,” Maloney told Formula Scout. “He was an amazing driver and one of the best to do it, especially in endurance racing. I’ve been learning a lot from him, and just the mindset of a driver and what he used to do to perform so well. Of course, everything is different for everyone, every driver is different. But more on the mental side, he’s very strong. I’m working very well with him. He’s really teaching me a lot.”