Orudzhev, winner of seven races in the past two years, spent both 2015 and 2016 with Arden, taking fifth and third in the standings respectively.

With five wins, the Russian won more races than anyone in 2016, but six retirements left him lagging behind title rivals Tom Dillmann and Louis Deletraz in the points table.

Now Orudzhev joins Dillmann's title-winning team for 2017, with fellow Russian Matevos Isaakyan as his teammate.

"I am happy to become a part of AV Formula. They were competitive and consistent last year and I look forward to building on this to enjoy even more success in 2017," Orudzhev said.

"And this is good opportunity for me to fight for the title. I want to thank once again SMP Racing for their support and believing in me. I really look forward to be back on-track."

AVF team principal and former GP2 driver Adrian Valles added: "We are delighted to field two drivers from SMP Racing, Isaakyan and Orudzhev, in the 2017 World Series Formula V8 3.5.

"With the addition of Egor, our line-up is definitely one of the most interesting of the whole pack and I think we will be able to challenge once again for the title with both drivers. Orudzhev is a quick, smart and talented driver with good experience in the series.

"In 2016, he made a considerable step forward becoming one of the brightest stars of the championship."

AVF is the third team to announce both of its 2017 drivers, with Fortec entering Mexican duo Alfonso Celis Jr and Diego Menchaca and Lotus fielding Pietro Fittipaldi and Rene Binder.