Maloney joins Sauber Academy as Stake F1 reserve

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Formula 2 driver Zane Maloney has signed up to become the newest member of the Sauber Academy driver development programme, where he will share reserve driving duties at Stake F1 with F2 champion Théo Pourchaire.

The 20-year-old Barbadian racing driver will combine his new duties with a second campaign in F2 for Rodin Motorsport, having finished his rookie campaign tenth in the standings after clinching four podiums in 2023.

Previous to that, Maloney was runner-up to Victor Martins in the 2022 Formula 3 championship by just five points having clinched three wins in his one and only season in the support series.

Having spent last year as part of the Red Bull programme, Maloney said that he was very excited by the prospect of his next steps up the motorsport ladder with Sauber.

“I am honoured to join the Sauber Academy, and to take on the role of one of Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber’s reserve drivers," he said in a press announcement from the team.

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"The Sauber name resonates with Formula 1, as it has been part of the sport for over thirty years, paving the way for so many drivers who went on to achieve great success.

"I am pleased to become part of this family, and I am looking forward to working together this season, as I move closer to my goal of becoming a Formula 1 driver.”

Sauber Academy director Beat Zehnder was happy to make the announcement on Wednesday.

“We are delighted to welcome Zane as the latest addition to the Sauber Academy. His path through the junior series has been remarkable so far and, with his speed and potential, he surely makes a great addition to our talented roster.

"In addition to his Formula 2 campaign, where he will aim to succeed our own Théo Pourchaire to the title, Zane will also share with him the Reserve Driver role for Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber.

"On behalf of the whole team, I give him my warmest welcome onboard, and look forward to working together and achieving great success.”

Sauber operates what was the Alfa Romeo F1 team entry with drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu until the end of last season, when the collaboration with the Italian marque came to an end.

The squad will now operate under the Stake F1 name for two seasons until it is formally acquired by Audi as the German manufacturer's works team from 2026.

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.