Andretti Formula E announced on Wednesday afternoon that Formula 2 star Zane Maloney would be their reserve and development driver in season 10, continuing their new relationship together.

Maloney has been fielded by Andretti three times this year alone, with him having driven for the team in the rookie tests in Berlin and Rome. He also completed a session for the outfit recently during pre-season testing in Valencia.

His new role with the American team will see him attend various races throughout Formula E’s centurion campaign, whilst he’ll also complete significant work in the simulator. The Red Bull Junior driver is also still eligible to participate in the Berlin rookie test next year, with him being a realistic option for Andretti.

The Barbadian will work closely with reigning World Champion Jake Dennis and Andretti’s new signing, Norman Nato, to ensure that the team are exploiting the most from their package at each E-Prix, starting in Mexico City next January.

He’s thrilled to have been offered the role and is “grateful for the trust” Andretti has given him, with him now being “determined to support” both drivers.

“Joining Andretti Formula E as the official reserve and development driver is an incredible opportunity,” said Maloney.

“I’m grateful for the trust the team has placed in my abilities, and I’m determined to support Jake and Norman as best I can. The Andretti name has such a rich history in motorsport, so it’s a pretty surreal moment for me in my career. I’m looking forward to contributing to the team’s continued success in Season 10.”

Maloney is a real talent and was even linked to a full-time seat at Andretti ahead of Nato making the switch from the Nissan Formula E Team. 2023 has seen him compete in his maiden F2 season for Rodin Carlin, following on from becoming the Formula 3 Vice-Champion in 2022 for Trident.

The 20-year-old is already an F2 podium-finisher and has actually made four appearances on the rostrum this year. With two races remaining in Abu Dhabi, Maloney sits 10th in the Drivers’ Championship.

Andretti Team Principal Roger Griffiths is “delighted” to have Maloney onboard for season 10, with him admitting that the young driver’s “dedication, talent and enthusiasm” during the rookie tests in particular “really stood out to us”.

“We’ve had the pleasure of working closely with Zane, and his dedication, talent and enthusiasm really stood out to us,” said Griffiths.

“Not only has he proven himself in other racing series, but also on multiple occasions during the rookie sessions where he demonstrated an excellent understanding of our GEN3 car. We are delighted to have Zane join us as our Reserve and Development Driver and look forward to working closely with him throughout the coming season.”

Mahindra Racing have announced the signing of Formula 2 podium finisher Kush Maini, who has become the team’s new reserve driver for season 10.

The Banbury-based squad were in need of a new reserve to replace Jehan Daruvala, who has become a full-time driver for Maserati MSG Racing. Signing Maini ensures that the team still have a young and exciting Indian driver in the team, something which is clearly crucial to the Indian manufacturer.

Maini has made remarkable progress over the last seven years and has risen up the single-seater ladder. Back in 2016 and 2017, he competed in the Italian F4 Championship, before he moved onto the British F3 Championship in 2018.

In his maiden British F3 campaign, the Bangalore-born driver claimed one win and a further seven podiums, on his way to third in the Drivers’ Championship. 2019 saw him switch to Formula Renault Eurocup, although he returned to the British F3 series in 2020. He went one better in 2020 than he did in 2018, and finished second in the standings.

He competed in the 2021 Asian F3 series and made a one-off appearance for ARC Bratislava in the LMP2 class in the World Endurance Championship, before he made the big move to F3 for 2022 with MP Motorsport.

Maini secured one podium in his debut F3 season at the Hungaroring; however, he could only manage 14th in the Drivers’ Championship. Nevertheless, he still moved instantly into F2 for this year with Campos Racing. With two races remaining in Abu Dhabi, Maini sits 11th in the standings and finished on the rostrum in Melbourne.

The 23-year-old is widely expected to complete a second season in F2 as he’s now part of the Alpine Academy, whilst he’s also being mentored by two-time F1 World Champion Mika Hakkinen.

His future certainly looks bright, with his reserve role in Formula E set to open more doors. Maini is very proud to have been signed by Mahindra, with him admitting that it feels “like coming home”.

“It’s a huge honour to be joining Mahindra Racing. Being an Indian driver, and the team being Indian, it feels in many ways like coming home,” said Maini.

“A lot of my work will be concentrated on the simulator, and hopefully getting in the car for the Rookie Test. I’m just going to try and learn as much as I can, it’s a different style of racing. I’ll be doing as much work as possible on the sim with the engineers to try and be helpful for both Edoardo and Nyck, and to try and help push the team forward on-track.

“Mahindra is a huge manufacturer, so for me, it’s a massive deal to be signing with them. Being an Indian brand, it’s the cherry on top of the cake. I’m super excited to get started.”

Maini will likely be used by Mahindra in the Berlin rookie test, although a lot of his work will be in the simulator alongside fellow reserve driver Jordan King.

Team Principal and Mahindra CEO Frederic Bertrand is “excited to welcome” Maini into the team, with him having been signed as part of the outfit’s focus on the future.

“We are excited to welcome Kush to Mahindra Racing as a Reserve Driver. He has a great record that speaks for itself in the junior formulae and is an exciting talent to add to our driver lineup,” said Bertrand.

“We are a very future-focussed team, so the opportunity to support new and emerging talent, such as Kush, is one we are naturally keen to explore. We’ve been watching him in FIA Formula 2 this season, and believe he has all the key skills and attributes to help Mahindra Racing push on for greater success in the future.

“His synergy with Edoardo, Nyck and Jordan will play an important role in the team’s continued push for better performance on-track, and off-track he is a superb ambassador for India within motorsport.”

Joshua Duerksen will complete a switch from the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine series to Formula 2 with PHM Racing in 2024.

The Paraguayan driver is currently competing in his second season in FRECA, where he has recorded one podium in Spa-Francorchamps to sit 19th in the standings.

Duerksen had initially participated in the Formula 3 post-season test at Imola for the PHM squad, but he will skip the third-tier category and compete in F2 next season.

“I am very excited to announce that I will be stepping up to FIA F2 with PHM Racing!” Duerksen said. “It’s a big step in my career, and I can’t wait to start this new and great challenge! It’s a huge honour and privilege to be the first Paraguayan driver in history to represent my country in FIA F2.

“I am more than grateful to God, my family, my sponsors, my fans, and of course, PHM Racing for believing in me. Now, I am focused on preparing in the best possible way with PHM for the season. The new car and new circuits will make this year a challenging and exciting one.”

Duerksen commenced his single-seater racing career in 2019, winding up second in the Formula 4 UAE Championship. He then conducted campaigns in both German and Italian F4, classifying 11th and eighth respectively, before improving to sixth in the former at the second attempt.

Another crack at Italian F4 beckoned the following year, with Duerksen recording two victories and a podium to end up sixth again. Last season, the now 20-year-old progressed into FRECA, ending his rookie campaign down in 14th place.

PHM Racing Sporting Director Roland Rehfeld acknowledges that it’s a “massive step”, but says Duerksen “convinced us with his ‘hands-on’ attitude, working ethic and 100% dedication to his profession, which is essential to develop himself with the Team at the highest stage of Formula Racing below F1.”

Rehfeld added: “Joshua has more potential as he was able to show in 2023, but through Formula 4 and Formula Regional Europe and Middle East he delivered already great performances and results. I guess a whole country will support him as being the first Paraguayan Driver, who is competing at this level. He in particular and all his supporters and partners deserve this chance and we will prepare him as best as possible to be competitive from the beginning on.”

Dennis Hauger will remain with MP Motorsport for the 2024 Formula 2 campaign, making the Dutch outfit the first to complete its driver line-up for next season.

2024 will be Hauger’s third season in the series and his second with MP after a maiden foray with Prema in 2022.

He will partner Williams junior and Formula 3 graduate Franco Colapinto, who will also make his Formula 1 testing debut with the Grove outfit in Abu Dhabi.

To date, the Norwegian driver has claimed four race victories in the category alongside eight podiums, four of which have come in 2023 including two Sprint wins.

Last month, it was announced that Hauger will part ways with the Red Bull Junior Team at the end of the 2023 season after spending six years in the development programme.

“I’m really happy to stay with MP Motorsport for another season of FIA Formula 2,” Hauger has said of the announcement.

“I’m truly looking forward to the challenge of setting up a winning new F2 car, as we aim to build on the experience we gained as a team working together in 2023.

“I welcome Franco as my new teammate – he’s a familiar face to MP too, and that can only be to our advantage in the transitional winter period while getting to grips with the new car.”

MP Motorsport Team Principal Sander Dorsman added that Hauger’s wealth of F2 experience will provide a vital boost to the team as it gets to grips with the brand new Dallara-Mechachrome chassis which arrives for next season, marking a new era for the championship.

“We are delighted that Dennis has decided to continue with us in the new season. He’s quick, with a cool and smart head on his shoulders,” Dorsman stated.

“His feedback will help us in the development race with the new car as we move into a new era of FIA Formula 2.

“With Dennis and Franco, we have two known quantities in our top team on the single-seater ladder. Having signed both at a very early stage will surely contribute to our getting up to speed as soon as we can.”

The 2021 F3 champion currently sits eighth in the F2 standings with one round remaining in Abu Dhabi, where he will look to cement an improvement of his 2022 standing of 10th.

He enters the final round tied on points with fellow former Red Bull prospect Richard Verschoor.

Williams junior driver Zak O’Sullivan will progress into Formula 2 with the ART Grand Prix team for the 2024 season.

The Briton will make the step up to the second-string category after spending two years in Formula 3, where he finished runner-up this season.

Having competed with Carlin in 2022, O’Sullivan transitioned to Prema for the current campaign, scoring more victories (4) than any other driver.

“I am delighted to join forces with ART Grand Prix for the 2024 FIA Formula 2 season,” O’Sullivan announced.

“The team has clearly demonstrated it has all the attributes to win, so I cannot wait to get started.

“ART have already made me feel very welcome. 2024 is set to be an exciting year and I’m ready for the challenge.”

ART represents an established name on the single-seater feeder series ladder, currently leading both championships in F2 with one round remaining.

Theo Pourchaire holds a 25-point advantage in the Drivers’ standings, while team-mate Victor Martins, an Alpine Academy member, sits fifth in his rookie year.

ART Team Principal Sebastien Philippe added: “I’m delighted about the collaboration between Zak and ART Grand Prix.

“He’s a driver we’ve been following for a long time, and he has consistently elevated his level of performance.

“His background and mindset align with ART Grand Prix’s mission of supporting young drivers to the highest levels of motorsport.

“It’s with pleasure and honour that we welcome a member of the Williams Racing Driver Academy.

“With proper winter preparation, his racing approach and adaptability should enable him to compete at the front.”

O’Sullivan boasts a decorated record since stepping into racing cars, beginning with a second-place finish in the Ginetta Junior Championship in 2019.

After again occupying the runners-up position in British F4 a year later, O’Sullivan came out on top in the GB3 Championship in 2021 with 14 podiums in 24 races.

That accolade earned him the Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Award, granting him the chance to drive the Silverstone squad’s 2021 Formula 1 car at Silverstone the following year.

Prior to his maiden F1 test outing, the now 18-year-old was also signed up to the Williams Driver Academy in February 2022, which he remains a part of to this day.

Isack Hadjar and Theo Pourchaire are the next rookies to be confirmed to be receiving a practice outing at this weekend’s Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix.

The regulations stipulate that every driver in each team has to give up an FP1 session for a rookie, defined as a driver who has started no more than two grands prix.

AlphaTauri handing Nyck de Vries his F1 bow this year counted on one side of the garage, but Liam Lawson filling in for Ricciardo, who replaced the Dutchman mid-season, did not.

Yuki Tsunoda is required to sit on the sidelines in the opening practice hour once across the remaining rounds and AlphaTauri have announced he will do so on Friday in Mexico.

Hadjar will get behind the wheel of an F1 car for the first time when he drives the AT04 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

The Frenchman currently lies 14th in the Formula 2 championship, the lowest of the Red Bull-backed drivers. He has notched one podium with eight further points finishes.

Red Bull’s senior team are yet to field a rookie in either of the cars occupied by Max Verstappen or Sergio Perez. But it’s rumoured that Hadjar will get to drive the title-winning RB19 alongside reigning Formula E champion Jake Dennis in FP1 at the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

Meanwhile, Alfa Romeo have confirmed that reserve driver Theo Pourchaire will also replace Valtteri Bottas at first practice in Mexico.

Pourchaire, 20, currently leads the way in his third campaign in Formula 2, 25 points clear of Frederik Vesti with only one round in Abu Dhabi remaining.

Vesti, a Mercedes junior driver, will also be granted an opportunity in the W14 this weekend, standing in for George Russell.

Elsewhere, Haas will run Ferrari Academy prospect Oliver Bearman, while Alpine revealed last weekend that Jack Doohan will receive outings in both Mexico and Abu Dhabi.

Bearman has won four races in his rookie season in the second tier to reside in sixth place, seven points behind Doohan, who has progressed to fourth with a late-season charge.

Williams junior Franco Colapinto will make the step up to Formula 2 for the season finale in Abu Dhabi and will compete in the series full-time with MP Motorsport in 2024.

Colapinto has picked up four race wins, five pole positions and 10 podiums over the course of his two-year Formula 3 stint which began with Van Amersfoort Racing in 2022.

The 20-year-old made the switch to MP Motorsport for this year, picking up points in 14 out of 18 rounds this year to be rewarded with fourth place in the standings.

“I am very excited and grateful for this opportunity,” Colapinto said following the announcement.

“We’ve been working really hard to secure a seat in F2 so this is a dream come true. To be able to do it with MP Motorsport makes it even more special.

“Thanks to Sander and Henk [at MP Motorsport] for their trust and continuing to support me. Being part of the Williams Racing Driver Academy this past year has been an incredible experience and I can’t wait to jump into my F2 car in Abu Dhabi.”

“MP are proven race winners in the category, and staying with them feels absolutely right. It’s a familiar atmosphere for me, and it will be to our advantage that we know each other so well as I enter my debut season in the category.

“I very much look forward to the fresh challenge of a new series, with a brand new car to help develop. I can’t wait to get in the car in Abu Dhabi and then work with the team to be ready for a long and challenging 2024 season.”

With Jehan Daruvala and Dennis Hauger currently occupying race seats with the team, it is not yet clear which driver will step aside to make space for the incoming Argentinian.

However, it has already been confirmed that Daruvala will depart F2 to compete in the upcoming 2023/24 Formula E season, where testing has recently commenced.

“It’s great news that we are able to announce Franco’s promotion to our F2 team so early” said MP Motorsport Team Principal Sander Dorsman.

“This will give us a headstart in our preparations for an exciting 2024 F2 season in which we all start from zero, with the new F2 car offering everyone a new baseline to work from.

“Retaining Franco helps us to maintain stability in that transition, apart from the fact that he’s become a member of the MP family and is an extremely quick and talented driver.”

Alpine’s Formula 1 team have bolstered its junior ranks after confirming that Formula 2 racer Kush Maini will be joining the side’s driver academy.

Maini is encountering his maiden campaign in the second-tier series with Campos Racing, scoring a third-place finish in the Australia Sprint race in the third round.

But having been a regular points scorer earlier in the season, the Indian has only added three further points finishes across the past 14 races.

Consequently, Maini has since slipped to 11th in the Drivers’ Championship with 60 points to his name.

It was announced last week that Maini, younger brother of ex-Haas development driver Arjun Maini, will be mentored by two-time F1 champion Mika Hakkinen

Now, with one round remaining in the F2 championship at the end of November in Abu Dhabi, Alpine have confirmed that Maini will be part of its driver development programme.

The 23-year-old will accompany fellow Alpine-backed drivers Jack Doohan and Victor Martins in F2’s season finale at the Yas Marina Circuit.

Doohan is scheduled to drive for the Anglo-French outfit in FP1 at this weekend’s Mexico Grand Prix while combining his F2 duties with another F1 outing in Abu Dhabi.

Maini has already asserted that his target is to mount a title challenge through a second season in the F2 category next year, which is also set to be supported by Alpine.

His addition means the Enstone squad currently has nine drivers in its academy set-up. Aside from three drivers in F2, Alpine also has a trio in F3 consisting of Gabriele Mini, Sophia Floersch and Nikola Tsolov, alongside Matheus Ferreira and Abbi Pulling in F4, and young karter Kean Nakamura Berta.

“I am super excited to be joining the Alpine Academy,” Maini expressed.

“It’s a dream come true to be associated with a team like Alpine, where I can learn and grow to hopefully one day be ready to take the step into F1. A massive thank you to Alpine for believing in me and giving me this opportunity.”

Julian Rouse, interim Sporting Director of the Alpine F1 team added: “We are happy to welcome Kush into the Alpine Academy. He is a young talent who we believe has strong potential and will be a great asset to our driver development programme.

“The Alpine Academy will enter its ninth year in 2024 and currently features nine drivers of eight nationalities, spanning four different series from FIA F2 through to European Karting. The continual expansion of the Academy’s talent pool runs in parallel to the expansion of our facilities at Enstone with the development of our new state-of-the-art training and testing facilities.”

Mercedes junior Andrea Kimi Antonelli will skip Formula 3 and make the step up to Formula 2 in 2024 with Prema after winning the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine title.

Last year, Antonelli won both the Italian and ADAC Formula 4 championships with Prema in only his first season of single-seater racing.

This season, Antonelli has been competing in the FRECA series, where he has won five races to clinch the title with two rounds remaining at Zandvoort.

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff had previously hinted that the two-time European karting champion could progress straight from FRECA to F2 and now it’s been confirmed.

Antonelli will continue his association with the Prema squad that has taken Charles Leclerc (2017), Mick Schumacher (2020), and Oscar Piastri (2021) to championship glory.

The 17-year-old will get behind the wheel of an F2 car for the first time at the post-season test in Abu Dhabi. The next season will also see F2 introduce a new car.

Antonelli said he was “very happy for this opportunity”, admitting that he is aware of the “huge jump” that will come from moving to FRECA to F2.

“I’m very happy for this opportunity,” Antonelli expressed.

“From Formula Regional to Formula 2, it will be a huge jump. I’m aware that it will be very challenging because the level is really high there.

“It will be a new car, for me and the others as well, but it’s still going to be tough.

“I don’t want to set expectations, I will try to learn as much as possible in testing to be ready for the first race, have fun as always, and do a good job.

“I’m delighted to continue with Prema as I started my single-seater career with them and they are my second family. I love working with them.”

Meanwhile, Prema team boss Rene Rosin said: “We are proud to welcome Kimi to our FIA Formula 2 team.

“He has been with us since the very beginning so not only do we know him well, but we are also particularly proud of what he was able to achieve in his first two years full-time in single-seaters.

“Kimi is a gifted racer and a great team player, so we cannot wait to see what the 2024 season will bring and we are focused on helping him to make the step in the smoothest possible way.”

Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur has outlined that Oliver Bearman will combine more FP1 outings in Formula 1 next year with another season in Formula 2.

It was announced last week that Bearman will be making his F1 bow later this month when he conducts an FP1 session with the Haas team at the Mexico City Grand Prix.

He will also be behind the wheel of the VF-23 in the opening practice session in Abu Dhabi, ensuring Haas fulfils its obligation to run a rookie driver in two FP1 sessions in the year.

Ahead of those appearances, Bearman was given the opportunity to drive an F1 car for the first time in his career when he drove Ferrari’s SF21 at the side’s Fiorano test track.

The Briton, who has been a member of Ferrari’s Driver Academy since the end of 2021, is currently competing in F2, where he sits sixth in the standings with four wins.

Vasseur has confirmed that Bearman will return for a second crack at F2 in 2024, alongside more F1 practice sessions to prepare him for the potential step up.

Asked whether he could provide an insight into Bearman’s racing schedule for next year, Vasseur said: “[In] 2024 he will do F2 again.

“But you know the situation, that we already had the discussion – I think it was the last press conference – about the junior series and the general programme is that the step is quite high with the F1, because we have no testing anymore, we have more and more Sprint event with just one FP1.

“We have three tests during the winter, it means that it’s quite difficult to adapt to the F1 and the rookies not always successful. I think Oscar [Piastri] did a very good job also because he had one year of preparation last year and he was already used to the F1.

“And we have to prepare in advance and it’s why we give him two FP1s this season with us and probably much more next year and we will prepare him for the future. So far, he’s doing a very good job in the junior series, but we know that it’s [F1] a long way [away].”

Vasseur’s mention of the lack of testing time now afforded to rookie F1 drivers followed comments by Logan Sargeant, who recently defended his tough maiden campaign.

“Experience always helps, but I have people to talk to just try and understand how to approach things and why these little mistakes are happening and how to get rid of them,” Sargeant said in Qatar.

“It is a constant work-in-progress, and I don’t think anyone is perfect in that sense – it is just about building off the mistakes, and it might sound silly, but using them to your advantage to try and learn from it.

“Ideally, you’d have more testing, as that is the best way to prepare – I mean back in the day when Lewis [Hamilton] and Fernando [Alonso] joined, everyone back then got endless days of testing, and in the current car too which is very different to what we experience now. 

“Now, it is always a previous generation and that makes a difference, but even if it is the previous generation [of car used in testing], just having more days [overall] makes a difference.”