Zane Maloney sees his big Formula E opportunity with the Gen4 launch: "Everything's back to zero"

British manufacturer Lola celebrated its grand return to international motorsport by entering the Formula E World Championship in the run-up to last season. As expected, this proved difficult. Due to a lack of experience with the technology, Lola Yamaha ABT usually found itself at the back of the field. Although there is still a season ahead with the Gen3 Evo car, the newcomer seems to be focussing fully on development for Gen4. Zane Maloney also feels ready to fully support his team in the development work.

Before Lola Yamaha ABT signed the Barbardier as a regular driver, he had already gained his first Formula E experience with Andretti. In the 2023-24 season, he worked for the American racing team as a reserve and development driver and took part in the rookie test in Berlin in both 2023 and 2024. He also took part in the two rookie training sessions in Rome in 2023 and Misano in 2024. Maloney then found a permanent cockpit at ABT for season 11. After the end of the season, he himself spoke of a long-term project and confirmed that he will remain with the team.

"We'e a bit in the dark coming into Gen3"

Maloney's signing was not the only change to the German team. After the end of season 10, the team parted ways with powertrain supplier Mahindra and entered into a partnership with Lola, who were also celebrating their return to international motorsport and were supported by technical partner Yamaha. However, it was clear to everyone involved from the outset that entering the championship would not be easy: "So every team has it a bit more dialled in, let's say, the powertrain and everything. So we're a bit in the dark coming into Gen3," Maloney told RacingNews365.

His statement is also reflected in the teams' results. They were mostly at the back of the field during the season. While Maloney even finished the season with no points at all, team-mate and Formula E veteran Lucas di Grassi pulled the coals out of the fire and even brought the team a surprise podium at the Miami E-Prix. Nevertheless, they finished bottom of the teams' standings with just 32 points collected.

"We can really try to make the difference"

As it can be assumed that the situation will not change much for the coming season, the 21-year-old sees his big opportunity with the introduction of the Gen4 cars in the 2026-27 season. "Everything starts from scratch, and we can really try to make the difference with these very smart engineers in the team," Maloney continued.

The manufacturer test drives with the newly developed drives for the Gen4 cars are scheduled to begin as early as next November. At the same time, Maloney has the challenge of contesting another season with the Gen3 Evo car. He is not shying away from this: "I'm very ready for it. From my side, I think from the team side as well, it can only be seen as an opportunity."

The new season begins with the Sao Paulo E-Prix on 6 December. Before that, the pre-season tests are still on the agenda, which are scheduled for 27 to 31 October at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia.