Former F1 driver Vitaly Petrov is to make a switch to sportscar racing in 2016 by joining SMP Racing in the LMP2 cla🎃ss of the World Endurance Championship.

The Russian racer, who competed with Renault and Caterham during three seasons of F1 racing between 2010 and 2012, spent mꦇuch of the 2015 season on the sidelines after a move to the DTM i♏n 2014 with Mercedes failed to yield a single top ten finish.

Nonetheless, he will return to full-time competition in 2016 after signing to join the Russian-finan🦩ced SMP Racing team, which will step up to the WEC with it🎉s BR Engineering BR01 LMP2 entry.

The BR01 prototype, which has be🐎en developed and financed by SMP Racing and Italian outfit AF Corse, made its competition debut this year in the Eu𓃲ropean Le Mans Series and proved competitive, with three podiums from the five events, while it also showed well at the Le Mans 24 Hours.

For 2016, Petrov - who became the first Russian driver to score an F1 podium in Australia in 201ꦓ1 - will take the position of Mikhail Aleshin, who will focus his attentions on a full season of IndyCar Series racing.