Barbadian racer Zane Maloney has secured a move to Nissan for the 2026/27 FIA Formula E World Championship, giving him an opportunity to fight at the front of the grid after two seasons with Lola Yamaha ABT.
Nissan announced that Maloney will partner veteran Oliver Rowland for the new season, which will also usher in Formula E’s more powerful fourth-generation cars.
Maloney told Barbados TODAY that the move represented a major opportunity at this stage of his career.
“It’s a big opportunity for me, so I’m very excited. When I came into Formula E, I came in with a new manufacturer (Lola). I was there for two years and of course the results were not there.
“We knew that would be the case coming in with a new team and a new manufacturer, but as a racing driver, I want to be fighting at the front. So when I got the opportunity to potentially move to Nissan, I took it with both hands and I am very excited to make it count and do my best to be at the front of the grid,” Maloney said.
Nissan has a proven track record in Formula E, having won the drivers’ championship two years ago and finished fourth last season. Maloney, who is known in racing circles as The Boy from Barbados, described his new team as one that is used to winning races and championships.
He is eager to link up with the team in the coming weeks and learn as much as he can ahead of the new season.
“I am in Paris at the factory early next week, and then the testing starts. Obviously with Gen 4, it’s a very new car and much faster, much more to understand, so yeah, straight to testing as soon as we can, and I’ll be basically at the factory as much as I can trying to learn the team, meet everyone and get ready for the new season, which begins in December in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.”
Despite recording just three top-ten finishes, Maloney reflected fondly on his two years with Lola Yamaha ABT, which entered Formula E as a new manufacturer during his first season, noting that the experience had brought him a long way.
“They’ve really developed me as a driver and as a person, so obviously I have a lot of appreciation towards them and they’re such great people within Lola.
“Of course coming in as a new manufacturer halfway through a generation of a car is a difficult task, but we took it with both hands and we embraced it and we got some good results along the way with the cars and we also had some great times. I thank them a lot,” he said.
The former FIA Rookie of the Year said next season’s fourth-generation cars would offer an additional challenge, with more power and a completely different learning curve. Maloney, however, remains undaunted.
“It’s a whole new package. We had 350 kilowatts of power this year in attack mode. Next year it is 600 kilowatts, so it’s a whole new beast, a lot more downforce, an active differential and a much more complex car.
“It’s a lot more towards what I would have been used to in F2. It’s by far the quickest car in the world on initial power 0 to 100km, but now it’s become quite a beast through the corners and also at top speed. I think I’m gonna be more at home in this new car,” Maloney revealed.
His teammate Rowland, a veteran racer, has warmly welcomed the Barbadian.
“I’m delighted to continue with Nissan for our seventh season together,” said the 34-year-old. “With the GEN4 car coming in, we’re going to see a big step in performance and it’s something we’re really excited for.
“I’m looking forward to Zane joining the team, he’s had a great junior career and two years of experience in Formula E, which puts him in a good position to start Season 13 strongly.” (KH)
