Germany's Nico Hulkenberg will return to the Formula One starting grid next season as team mate to Britain's Paul di Resta at Force India, the team said on Friday.
The tall Hulkenberg, who raced for former world champions Williams in 2010 and was test and reserve driver at Force India this year, will replace compatriot Adrian Sutil at the Silverstone-based team.
Sutil is a frontrunner to switch to Williams in place of Brazilian Rubens Barrichello as team mate to Pastor Maldonado, the well-funded Venezuelan who ousted Hulkenberg.
The Force India announcement came as no surprise, with Hulkenberg's imminent return the worst kept secret in the paddock.
Managed by Lewis Hamilton's father Anthony, Di Resta made his debut this season and ended up as the highest-ranked rookie after scoring 27 points and finishing 13th overall.
"In Paul and Nico we have two extremely talented drivers with tremendous potential," said team principal Vijay Mallya in a statement.
"I think Paul caught the eye of everybody in the pit lane during his rookie season. His speed, maturity and racecraft confirmed that we were right to believe in him and we look forward to working with him again next year.
"As for Nico, we identified him as a rising star at the end of 2010 and chose to evaluate him during the course of this season. Despite having only limited time in the car, he convinced us that he deserved a race seat for 2012."
Mallya thanked Sutil, who made his debut with Spyker in 2007 and stayed on when they became Force India in 2008, for his contribution over the years.
Hulkenberg, who was GP2 champion in 2009 and took pole position for Williams in Brazil last year, was delighted to be back in a race seat.
"It wasn't easy to watch from the sidelines this season, but I did my best to help the team and show what I was capable of. I'm extremely motivated for 2012 and would like to thank everyone for believing in me and giving me this chance," he said.
"I'm keen to get down to work over the winter to develop our new car and help the team build on this year's achievements. The first test in Jerez can't come soon enough."
Friday's announcement left Williams as the focus of the driver market, with only them and struggling HRT still with a vacancy to fill.
While Sutil will be a favourite, veteran Barrichello is also hoping Williams keep him on and allow him to start a 20th season in the sport.
Russia's Vitaly Petrov, Brazilian Bruno Senna, Switzerland's Sebastien Buemi and Spain's Jaime Alguersuari are also among this year's drivers still without a place.
