The Ferrari-supported Italian made his F1 debut in 2017 as replacement for the injured Pascal Wehrlein at Sauber, and was a contender to join the Swiss team as a full-time driver for the upcoming season.

However, Sauber opted for fellow Ferrari protege Charles Leclerc and team regular Marcus Ericsson instead, with Giovinazzi having to settle for a third-driver role.

He will now make an appearance in the January 14 post-race FE rookie test at Marrakech, and will pilot DS Virgin's DSV-03 car alongside BMW racer Eriksson.

Giovinazzi's test opportunity comes against the backdrop of Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne evaluating a foray into the all-electric racing category with his Fiat Chrysler Automobiles company's Maserati brand.

The entry list has also revealed two other names participating in the test, completing a 20-strong line-up.

Mercedes DTM driver Gary Paffett, who has previously stated he would “absolutely” consider following the manufacturer to Formula E when it quits the German series at the end of 2018, will test for Venturi – which currently employs his DTM teammates Edoardo Mortara and Maro Engel.

Meanwhile, Formula 2 ace Alex Albon will slot in alongside Japanese F3 champion Mitsunori Takaboshi in the Renault e.dams test roster.

Test line-up