You'll struggle to find a Formula 2 driver with more confidence in their chances this season than Zane Maloney.
The first Bajan to race competitively in Europe, the teenager is no stranger to breaking barriers - having left his sunny home at such a young age to pursue a racing career, at first in North America before crossing the Atlantic.
Maloney finished as runner-up in Formula 3 last term, though that hides the sensational way in which he finished the campaign. He won the last three feature races of the campaign and finished second in the round before that – showing his title charge was undone in the early rounds.
"I couldn't have asked for much more, to be honest," the 19-year-old told Mirror Sport on the eve of his F2 debut this weekend. "It does make you look back to the beginning of the season and make you start to focus on that. There were things to improve on from the last part but a lot less than the first part of the year.
"Of course, it was amazing to finish as vice-champion and win the last three feature races. I'm just going to try to build on the mistakes that I made in the first part of the season. We were always fast and I was always in the top three in qualifying, but then silly mistakes like in Imola, spinning at the safety car restart, in Barcelona, missing the weighbridge – stuff like that is what loses you championships.
"I really did improve on those things throughout the season, but it showed me I need to do a bit more prep before each race and before the season in terms of the dos and the don'ts of the car and of the championship."
Born and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Maloney had to make many more sacrifices compared to his peers to achieve his dream. But he sees that journey as more of a privilege than a burden – flying the flag for the Caribbean as he pushes towards the apex of single-seater motorsport.
"Being the first one from Barbados and from the Caribbean, everything is new and there's no-one to learn from or look up to," he recalled. "But I've had such great people around me and great management, great coaches. That has helped me to get what I would get if I was British or European.
"I've always wanted to put myself into the deep end, because that's the only way you find out if you're good enough and to get better. I've wanted to step up as quickly as possible and really put pressure on myself to do the job. I show myself that I can do it so that, once I don't make the mistakes, I know that I can do it.
"There's a lot of pride when it comes to representing Barbados. It's the best place in the world as far as I'm concerned! I love Barbados and, to be able to show what we have on the island – we have lots of rallying and circuit racing – to be able to show that on the world stage means a lot to me.
"One of my sponsors this year is Barbados! It should be a great year and I'll continue to raise awareness of what Barbados really is, because it's a beautiful island."
For his first taste of F2, he returns to a Carlin team which is familiar to him. Maloney represented the Surrey-based team in both British F4 and Euroformula, and reunification with the team led by Trevor and Stephanie Carlin was a no-brainer despite his success with Trident in 2022.
Maloney explained: "I know the team very well – I've known Steph and Trev for a long time now. They're always at the front in the championships that they do. We were able to win in British F4 and the plan is for me to do the best on track again.
"I know that Carlin will provide me with the equipment – I'm very sure of that – so to come back to a team where I'm very confident as well. Trident did a great job with me in F3 last year but [I wanted] to come back to Carlin, a place very close to home in terms of atmosphere."
Carlin's record of nurturing talented young drivers is astonishing. Six current F1 drivers, including George Russell and Lando Norris, are alums of the team in the junior categories, while Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo also represented the team in their early careers.
As if that setup isn't enough for Maloney, he is also a member of the Red Bull driver academy – famous for helping young drivers to fulfil their potential. Helmut Marko oversees that programme and is known for his excellent record in that regard, and also for being a tough taskmaster when dealing with those budding young F1 wannabees.
"He is tough, but I like it like that," said Maloney of the Austrian, with whom he draws comparisons with his own father. "I think that's the best way to go about it, in life in general.
"My dad was like that when I was growing up. You work hard and you get done what you need to get done. He doesn't like lazy behaviour and Helmut is the same, so I'm sure it will be good this year. Of course there will be some funny moments, but not too many bad moments."
Being part of the Red Bull setup means, if you get the results required, there is probably going to be an opportunity to push for an F1 seat. The AlphaTauri team prefers to promote junior drivers into the top category, and will be the target of Maloney and all his fellow academy members.
Nyck de Vries joins the team for this season and is unproven in F1, though his record in F2 and Formula E is excellent. Yuki Tsunoda, entering his third F1 season, needs to do more to prove that he deserves to keep hold of his seat. Looking at that situation, Maloney feels there is an opportunity there.
"Of course. If I perform the way I want to and the way that I expect to, for sure there will be opportunities for me," he says when asked the question. "Red Bull and Formula 1 in general are for the best of the best, so you need to show that you are the best to make it.
"That's my plan – of course, we need to do more than just say it. There could be opportunities at the end of the year but I'm focused on the season, because I first need to get the results before I can get those opportunities. My target is F1 in 2024 – that is a very big target but I believe in myself, while also knowing that I need to put in the work to get anywhere near my goals."
How can he achieve that target? Even though it is his rookie season in F2, the 19-year-old sees no reason why he cannot mount a serious title challenge this year.
"I want to win – and I also expect that we can win. I think a realistic goal is to win the championship. But I don't look at the standings – I look at the job that needs to be done at each race. Last year I messed up and made mistakes in four of the nine rounds and I'm not going to win the championship that way.
"The goal is to win the championship and I think that, if we do the right job, with Carlin we have the opportunity to do something like that."
