The Barbadian driving sensation Zane Maloney, buoyed by his dramatic Formula 3 feature race win in Belgium this past weekend, is targeting a strong finish to the 2022 FIA season.

The 18-year-old Maloney rallied from a scary crash during Saturday’s Sprint Race, to secure the feature race triumph at the Spa-Francorchamps on Sunday for his first victory in F3.

The win vaulted Maloney to seventh in the F3 Drivers’ championship standings heading into the last two races in this year’s campaign – Zandvoort in the Netherlands this weekend and the season finale in Monza, Italy from September 8-10.

“We have two more rounds, there’s still a chance at doing very well at the championship,” said Maloney, who drives for the champion Italian Team Trident.

After seven races in the season, Maloney is seventh on 74 points, 32 points off the lead held by the Frenchman Isack Hadjar (106). He is only six points off sixth-placed American Jak Crawford (80) and 22 behind current No.5 Roman Stanek (96) of the Czech Republic.

“Hopefully I’ll have a good two rounds and I will keep pushing as hard as I can,” he said.

Maloney had been forced to retire from Saturday’s Sprint after being involved in a massive two-car crash that triggered a red flag to stall the race.

The dreadful crash involving 17-year-old team Campos driver Oliver Goethe and Maloney, saw both junior F3 stars collide as they came out of a bend at high-speed. Maloney had been trying to power his way up the inside but miscalculated and failed to make the bend. The collision flung Maloney and Goethe off the track and into the safety barrier. To return the following day for his maiden F3 win was an immense coup for the Barbadian teenager and his team.

“An amazing feeling. The team did a great job to get the car back ready, everything was new. Fourteen hours of work, zero sleep. I am very sore today but it was well worth it,” Maloney said after Sunday’s victory. “I feel privileged to hear the national anthem and see the flag on the top step of the podium, and yes that’s my goal all the time to represent Barbados,” he added.

His F3 season, already highlighted by the fastest lap in Bahrain in March and achieving pole position at Imola in April, ends in mid-September and he is now targeting a top-five finish in the championship standings.

Before this year’s F3 campaign, Maloney had contested the Formula Regional European Championship in 2021, securing podium finishes including a victory in Monaco from pole position.