Filipe Albuquerque will return to United Autosports for the European Le Mans Series and its potential 24 Hours of Le Mans entry next season, the team confirmed on Thursday.

The Portuguese driver competed with the team this year alongside Will Owen and Hugo de Sadeleer in a full-season ELMS LMP2 effort.

He will join Phil Hanson in the team’s Ligier JS P217 Gibson next year, except for the opening round at Circuit Paul Ricard where the Portuguese driver’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship commitments will take priority.

Albuquerque was previously announced as one of Action Express Racing’s full-season drivers for the WeatherTech Championship, having served as a third endurance driver for the team in recent years.

As a result, he is the only driver confirmed at United Autosports so far not to be competing with the Anglo-American outfit in January’s Rolex 24 at Daytona.

“I’m really happy to be able to continue working with United Autosports,” he said. “I have found a real family here and it was amazing to be working with them in 2017.

When they proposed that we should work together again in 2018, I was excited, especially as they have managed to combine their ELMS program with my IMSA commitments so we will be aiming for the championship win.

“Phil Hanson will be fantastic – he has some experience already in the ELMS and he has raced at Le Mans. We will be covering a lot of points in testing to make him faster and faster.

“I’m really happy to be with the team again – I will be working really hard to get the title for them in 2018.”