Alfa Romeo Sauber has confirmed Marcus Ericsson will become the Formuꦏla 1 team's third driver and ambassador in 2019 after losing his race seat.

Ericsson has raced for Sauber since the start of 2015, recording a best finish of P8 in his debut outing for𝐆 the tꦅeam, but was confirmed to be out of a seat for next year on Tuesday as Ferrari junior Antonio Giovinazzi took his place. Giovinazzi will form an all-new line-up at Sauber alongside Kimi Raikkonen for 2019.

Ericsson - who has links to Sauber's owners - will however remain part of the setup at Hinwil, taking up a role that will 🙈see him become the team's third driver, as well as being a brand ambassador for the Swiss outfit.

We are delighted to announce that will continue to be part of our team

Marcus wil🍸l be taking on the role ⛦of Third Driver and Brand Ambassador + + = DREAM TEAM!!

— Sauber F1 Team (@SauberF1Team)

"I am thankful for the past five years of my career which🦄 I have spent racing in Formula One. I am proud to have represented Sauber for four of🃏 those years, and for having raced for such an iconic brand as Alfa Romeo this season," Ericsson said.

"I would have loved to continue on this path, but having a driver like𓃲 Kimi Räikkönen on board is a great opportunity for the whole team. Going forward, I will continue contributing🔥 to the development of the team as I have always done, with full dedication and all of my support.”

Ericsson ඣals🧜o posted a message on Twitter in which he confirmed he was open to exploring racing options in other series for 2019.