McLaren reject Sergio Perez will remain on the Formula 1 grid next season after confirming a deal with Force India.
The Mexican joins former Sauber driver Nico Hulkenberg in the team, leaving previous pilots Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta on the sidelines.
Perez had appeared in danger of dropping out of F1 following McLaren’s late decision to replace him with Kevin Magnussen.
A group of Mexican commercial backers, however, have ensured Perez remains on the grid.
“It’s great to announce my new team as Force India,” he said in a statement.
“Coming here was always my first choice and I’m really happy everything has now been confirmed.
“I want to say thank you to Vijay and the whole team for giving me the opportunity.
“This is a young team with a lot of determination and they’ve produced competitive cars for the last few years.
“It’s all change for next season with the new regulations, but I already have a good feeling about 2014. My plan now is to visit the factory and get to know everyone in the team.”
Team principal Vijay Mallya said that his previous drivers had “done nothing wrong”, but that it was time for a change.
“By pairing Sergio alongside Nico, we enter the new season with an extremely competitive line-up, which will go toward helping us achieve our goals for the new season,” he said.
“Sergio brings a healthy mix of youth and experience, and I’ve been very impressed with his recent performances.
“He clearly has great speed and plenty of fire in his belly.”
Force India finished sixth in the 2013 Constructors’ Championship with di Resta and Sutil 12th and 13th respectively in the Drivers’ standings.
