Paul di Resta is the latest driver to be added to United Autosports’ two-car lineup for the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the team announced on Thursday.

The former DTM champion and Formula 1 driver will join Will Owen in one of the team’s two Ligier JS P217 Gibsons for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season-opener in January.

He completed three seasons of Formula 1 between 2011 and 2013 before making a return to DTM with Mercedes-AMG. The Scot currently serves as Williams Martini Racing’s reserve driver.

“I’m really looking forward to racing at Daytona and with United Autosports,” he said. “I’ve never done a 24-hour race and never raced a prototype so it’s all new to me, but I’m looking forward to the challenge.

“Entering a 24-hour race is something I’ve looked at doing before and when Zak asked, I jumped at the opportunity. The Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona is getting bigger every year, so it’s great to be part of it.

“I plan to do some testing ahead of the race to get integrated into the team and to get a shot at driving the car prior to heading to Daytona in January.”

The team has previously announced it has signed Lando Norris and Phil Hanson as the first two drivers in its other Ligier for the January race.

“I’m pleased we have managed to pull together a deal for Paul to join the team at Daytona,” said team owner and chairman Zak Brown.

“Although he’s not driven our car before, he’s had plenty of racing experience in different categories so I’m confident he will have a good race and enjoy being with the team.”

No Button for Rolex 24

Brown, meanwhile, has ruled out Jenson Button being part of the team’s lineup for Daytona.

Brown told Sportscar365 in August that he was in discussions with the 2009 F1 World Champion about a possible one-off drive in the Rolex 24, prior to him being linked to the Penske Acura DPi program, which didn’t materialize.

“Jenson won’t be driving for us,” Brown told Sportscar365. “I don’t know what he’s going to be doing. I thought he was going to be in the Penske car. Not sure what happened there.”

John Dagys contributed to this report