By alley - Mar 28, 2017, 10:55 AM ET

Alpine completes WEC team

Ex-Formula 3 driver Matt Rao is set to return to the World Endurance Championship for a second season in 2017, filling the third seat in Signatech Alpine's lead No. 36 A470 in the LMP2 class. The team also confirmed today in its pre-season announcement in Paris that Nelson Panciatici, Pierre Ragues and André Negrao will drive the team's second car.

In the lead car, Rao will join 2016 LMP2 Champions and Le Mans winners Nicolas Lapierre and American Gustavo Menezes, who are eager to defend their titles, and Romain Dumas at Spa and Le Mans. Reinging FIA WEC champion and Le Mans winner Dumas will fill Lapierre's vacant seat

while he races with Toyota in LMP1

"It's really exciting, I can't wait to get out and race," Rao (pictured) told RACER. "It is great to work with the Alpine, who I've had a good relationship with since I ran with them at the 2015 Bahrain rookie test."

Prior to this week's announcement, Rao – who raced with Manor WEC last year in an ORECA 05 – tested with Signatech Alpine at the Dunlop official test at Motorland Aragon, providing the young Briton with a first taste of the new-for-2017 LMP2 cars.

"They're great," said Rao when asked about the new cars. "You feel that you're getting the correct amount of power from them now, as I thought that last year's cars were a bit underpowered. I worked well with the team in Spain, and proved myself enough to get the drive.

"Racing with Manor last year definitely makes me feel more confident going into this season, too," he continued. "Last year Silverstone and Spa were the only two circuits on the schedule I knew, so now I have experience at all of the tracks on the calendar it will definitely help me get-go.

"The team knows how to win, and Gustavo and Nicolas will be looking to recapture their form from last season. It would be incredible to go all the way and win Le Mans or challenge for the title."

In the second car, Ragues moves over from Larbre Competition's scaled back GTE effort with Corvette Racing and ex-GP2 racer Negrao will make his first ACO-rules sports car appearance after years racing in Brazilian F3, Formula Renault 3.5 and more recently Indy Lights with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports in 2016.

Panciatici, meanwhile, returns to the team for a fourth season, although in 2016 he only completed a partial season the Baxi DC Alpine crew.

Alpine will be in action this weekend with its two A470s at the Monza WEC Prologue pre-season test.