Maloney thanks Barbados for “incredible” support

The F2 driver remains optimistic despite securing no points at the Hungaroring.

Zane Maloney endured a challenging weekend at the Hungarian Grand Prix, which saw engine failure forcing him to start from the back of Saturday’s Sprint Race, and a collision ending his much-anticipated feature race prematurely the following day.

Reflecting on those races, the 21-year-old Sauber Academy driver told Damian Hall, in an exclusive interview for Barbados TODAY, that despite the setbacks, he was grateful for the “incredible” support from Barbados.

“As always, the support from Barbados is incredible,” Maloney stressed. “I’d just like to say thank you again to everyone who wakes up to watch me, comments on my posts with encouragement, and just supports me through it all.”

The weekend started with high hopes at the Hungaroring, as Maloney prepared to start the Sprint Race on Saturday from third position. However, disaster struck before the warmup lap, when his engine failed on the grid, forcing him to start from the pit lane.

Despite this early setback, the Barbadian-born driver showcased his driving skills by recovering from last place up to 14th. Unfortunately, only the top eight drivers are rewarded with points in the sprint race, leaving him empty-handed.

Sunday’s feature race brought more challenges. Starting eighth, Maloney had an incredible start, gaining four positions by the time the field reached the first turn. He bravely positioned himself on the inside of Turn 1, which then became the outside of Turn 2. Facing a challenge for his position, he cleverly stayed on the outside, giving him the inside advantage for Turn 3 and cementing his position.

However, on the seventh lap, Hitech Pulse-Eight driver Paul Aron’s attempt to pass Red Bull Junior driver Dennis Hauger went awry. And Maloney paid the price. Aron went to the inside of Turn 2, and collided with the rear of Maloney’s car ahead, spinning The Boy From Barbados around, causing his car to stall, and ending his race prematurely.

“It was a frustrating weekend in Hungary, with a lot happening out of my control,” Maloney mused. “The pace was really good, and it was a weekend of what could have been.”

Maloney’s alternative tyre strategy, if not for the incident, had the potential to yield a strong result. He started the race on the prime (Hard) tyre, the same compound as the eventual race winner, Mercedes Junior driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

Putting the weekend behind him, Maloney said his focus was firmly on future races. “Now we refocus towards Spa in Belgium,” he told Damian Hall for Barbados TODAY.

This incident leaves the Rodin Motorsport driver without points for the weekend, causing him to drop slightly to fourth in the championship standings with 101 points, 39 points behind the current championship leader, Red Bull Junior driver Isack Hadjar.

Formula 2 now moves on to The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium from July 26-28.

(Damian Hall)