Adrian Sutil will return for a seventh Formula 1 season in 2014 after finalising a deal with Sauber.
The now 30-year-old German’s 109 Grand Prix starts to date have all come with Force India.
The Vijay Mallya-owned squad announced on Thursday that Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg will make-up its line-up for next season.
“I am very happy that we found common ground,” said Sutil of concluding negotiations with Sauber.
“Although I have known for a while where I wanted to go, in the end the negotiations took a bit longer than planned.
“However, now I will have all the more reason to celebrate during the Christmas season.
“I’ve been in contact with Monisha (Kaltenborn, team principal) for a while and she always gave me the feeling my qualities are valued.
“After six good years driving for Force India, with a lot of highlights, it’s now time to embark on a new challenge.”
Despite making noises earlier in the year that Russian teenager Sergey Sirotkin would join the team for 2014, Sutil is the first driver to be confirmed in Sauber’s line-up.
“We are pleased, that we were able to sign Adrian, particularly as we have been wanting to work together with him for a while,” said Kaltenborn.
“Adrian had already visited the factory at the end of September to have a look at the infrastructure.
“Adrian is not only very fast, but also brings a lot of experience, which is very important looking at the new regulations for next year.”
The second Sauber seat is the only competitive ride remaining on the 2014 grid, with other vacancies now limited to one at Marussia and two at Caterham.
