Maloney makes surprise move to Nissan Formula E Team

Nissan has announced the surprise signing of Zane Maloney to partner Oliver Rowland at its Formula E team next season.

Maloney joins the team after two seasons with Lola Yamaha Abt – with which he scored a trio of top-10 finishes last season in Sao Paulo and the second races of the Monaco and Tokyo weekends – replacing Norman Nato and becoming the third full-time driver alongside Rowland in four seasons after Nato and Sacha Fenestraz.

“I’m very excited to join Nissan Formula E Team,” said Maloney. “When I came into Formula E, the team was winning the championship with Oli, so it’s a great chance for me to now join a top manufacturer. I’ve spent the last two seasons with a new team, developing my skills and trying to get the best results we could, so I’m really looking forward to taking this next step in my career. 

“It’s also a great opportunity to be teammates with Oli. He’s a world champion and someone I watched when I was growing up, first winning races in Formula 2 and then in Formula E, so to be alongside him and learn from him will be really valuable.”

Maloney wasn’t thought to be a frontrunner for the second Nissan seat following Nato’s exit. That changed in recent days when speculation of a move ramped up and talk of previous favorite, test driver Victor Martins, quietened.

“He’s young but already has two seasons of Formula E experience, and we believe there is a lot more to come from him, Tommaso Volpe, managing director and team principal of Nissan Formula E Team, said of Maloney.

“His results in Formula 2 showed the level of talent he has, and we see GEN4 as the perfect opportunity for him to build on those skills, making it a very fitting next step in his career. We’re looking forward to working with him and giving him the environment he needs to perform at his best. 

“With Zane joining Oli we have an exciting combination of experience and youth, and we’re confident this line-up gives us a strong starting point for the GEN4 era.”

Along with the announcement of Maloney, Nissan also confirmed that 2024-25 champion Rowland would remain with the team “as part of a multi-year agreement” for a fourth consecutive season with the team and seventh overall with him also having competed for the outfit earlier in his career.

“I’m delighted to continue with Nissan for our seventh season together and fourth consecutive one with Nissan Formula E Team,” said Rowland. “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. Heading into the future with Nissan Formula E Team is very exciting and we’re aiming to improve on our performances from this year.”
Maloney joins the team as it heads into Formula E’s GEN4 era with the series’ fastest and most powerful cars, and sees it as a good time to make a step up.

“GEN4 is a big opportunity for everyone to develop quickly, and I’ll be doing everything I can to prepare well and hit the ground running from the first race,” he said. “A big thank you to Nissan Formula E Team for the trust in me. I’m really looking forward to getting started and achieving some very good results together.”

As for Lola, which is splitting from Abt next season to run its team in-house from a new base at Silverstone, it is now looking for two new drivers following Maloney’s exit and the retirement of Formula E stalwart Lucas di Grassi. FE Notebook reports that Dan Ticktum is set to test with the team in Spain this week, although the door isn’t fully closed on him remaining with Cupra Kiro despite a tumultuous season.