By alley - Feb 1, 2016, 9:15 AM ET

INDYCAR: Chilton confirmed for fourth Ganassi car

Chip Ganassi Racing Teams announced today that former Formula 1, World Endurance Championship and Indy Lights driver Max Chilton will pilot the team's No. 8 Chevrolet-powered entry in a full-season effort for the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series.

Chilton will become the first British driver in more than a decade and just the fourth in the last 24 years (Nigel Mansell-1993, Mark Blundell-1996, Justin Wilson-2004) to have driven full-time in Formula 1 prior to joining the IndyCar Series in the same capacity.

"I couldn't be happier to join Chip Ganassi Racing's Verizon IndyCar Series program," said Chilton, who was

linked to the seat by RACER two weeks ago

. "This organization is built on winning and their 11 IndyCar championships back that up. Chip is the kind of team owner that every driver dreams of working for in their career. He's accomplished so much in so many different categories over the years, and I can't wait to start driving for him."

At 24, Chilton joins the team after making 35 starts in Formula 1 from 2013-2014 for the Marussia Formula 1 Team. Most recently he contested a partial season in the 2015 Indy Lights Championship with one win, six podium and 10 top-five finishes.

Chilton's 35 starts in F1 from 2013-'14 included a rookie record for the most consecutive races finished (25), with 19 of them coming in his first season. 2015 saw Chilton make his 24 Hours of Le Mans debut with Nissan Motorsports in the LMP1 category, while also contesting his first season in Indy Lights with Carlin Motorsport, where he won at Iowa Speedway from pole position. Prior to F1 he spent the 2010-'12 seasons in the GP2 Series, scoring two wins. In addition, Chilton contested the British F3 Championship from 2007-'09, where he was a race winner. He began his racing career at the age of 10 in karts.

"Max is a talented young driver who has driven a number of different disciplines already in a short time," noted team boss Chip Ganassi. "He brings a good deal of experience to our Indy car lineup and we're looking forward to him being part of our four-car team in 2016 and making a big contribution."