Ex-Formula 1 driver Pastor Maldonado will make his FIA World Endurance Championship debut with DragonSpeed, having been confirmed in the team’s Oreca 07 Gibson for the 2018-19 season.

The 33-year-old Venezuelan will join Roberto Gonzalez at the wheel of the LMP2 contender, transitioning into sports car racing following a five-year F1 career that included victory in the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix with Williams.

In total, he made 95 Grand Prix starts, between Williams and Lotus, and has since been on the sidelines.

Maldonado joins the American-backed team after a deal to put Esteban Gutierrez in the seat fell through, according to team principal Elton Julian.

Gutierrez’s name appeared on the entry list for next month’s Prologue pre-season test but Julian said the team had since made a change.

DragonSpeed will undertake a dual-class effort in the WEC, with Henrik Hedman, Ben Hanley and Renger van der Zande confirmed in its BR Engineering BR1 Gibson, although Pietro Fittipaldi will sub for the Dutchman at Spa and Fuji due to van der Zande’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship commitments.