Lotus has confirmed Jolyon Palmer as its second driver for the 2016 season.
British driver Palmer has been at Lotus in a reserve driver role this year and has taken part in 10 FP1 sessions so far. Palmer, son of former F1 driver Jonathan, beat McLaren junior Stoffel Vandoorne and Sauber driver Felipe Nasr to the 2014 GP2 championship but was unable to secure an immediate full-time drive.
Palmer will replace Haas-bound Romain Grosjean and partner Pastor Maldonado, who has been at the Enstone team since 2014.
"It feels pretty unbelievable!," Palmer said of his elevation to a full-time seat. "It's been such a long journey and I'm so glad to have been confirmed as a race driver with the team next year. A lot of hard work has gone into preparing for this to happen and into proving what I'm capable of delivering. I'm very grateful to everyone who has so far helped me at the team; I'm now looking forward to 2016 and to build on the experience that I already have.
"Getting into Formula One has never been harder. When I won GP2 in 2014 I felt that I was ready to move up back then so it feels like it has been a long time coming. At the same time, this year has been very good. I have enjoyed working with the team and ultimately it has given me the chance to prove what I'm capable of. I'm absolutely ready for it now!"
Lotus is still in talks with Renault about a takeover for 2016, negotiations which saved the team from entering administration earlier this season. Lotus CEO Matthew Carter confirmed in the Austin press conference on Friday the team's driver line-up would remain unchanged regardless of the outcome.
Team chairman Gerard Lopez said: "We are very pleased to announce that exciting British racing talent Jolyon Palmer is promoted to a race seat with the team for next season. We've seen Jolyon's hard work and talent this season in the way he's approached his third driver role and he is a really popular choice for the team. As well as having a great future ahead of him behind the wheel, Jolyon is an intelligent and highly marketable asset to the team. He deserves this opportunity, and everyone at Enstone is excited to see what he can achieve next year."