Max Chilton will race in the World Endurance Championship for Nissan this season, with his LMP1 move ending chances of an F1 return.

The former Marussia driver has been without a drive since the team went in to administration following last year's Russian Grand Prix. While the team is attempting to be on the grid in Melbourne this year under the name of Manor Marussia - and has one seat still available - Chilton has been announced as a Nissan LMP1 driver who will race at Le Mans.

“I'm honoured to have been asked to join a manufacturer as prestigious as Nissan in a championship that is growing year on year,” Chilton said.  “Le Mans has always had an amazing following and to be racing there as a works driver is a dream come true.

"My aim has always been to race at the highest level and the technology that has gone into the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO is as impressive as a Formula 1 car.  Having met with the team and seen first-hand the dedication and desire to win that exists within this project I can't wait to get on track."

Chilton will race for Nissan from the start of the season, with the opening race taking place at Silverstone on April 12.

Click here for the gallery from day four of the final test

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.

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