Sergio Perez complete's Force India F1 driver line-up

Former McLaren and Sauber F1 driver Sergio Perez will join Nico Hulkenberg at the Sahara Force India Formula 1 team from the 2014 world championship in a multi-year deal.

After only one season with former constructors' champions McLaren (second picture) where he partnered 2009 F1 champion Jenson Button, the Mexican was dropped by the British team in favour of Denmark's Kevin Magnussen.

Force India had signed Hulkenberg, who had - oddly enough - assumed Perez's vacated seat at Sauber F1, after the Mexican accepted a move to McLaren following a stellar 2012 season during which he scored the first three podium finishes of his career including two second places that were nearly race wins at the Malaysian and Italian Grands Prix.

Hulkenberg struggled at Sauber F1 this year prior to a surge in performance in the second half of the season, which saw him leapfrog Perez in the drivers championship. Perez scored 49 points to teammate Button's 73 (neither driver scored a podium finish), while being outscored by Hulkenberg who eventually finished the season with 51 points.

“It’s a pleasure to welcome Sergio to the team," said Force India team principal Vijay Mallya. "He brings a healthy mix of youth and experience, and I’ve been very impressed with his recent performances. He already has several podium finishes to his name and being chosen by McLaren last year was a clear indication that he is a driver to watch for the future."

Perez had a fairly impressive record in junior formulae, although he never competed in the European Formula 3 Championship. He was the runner-up in the 2010 GP2 Series season to Pastor Maldonado prior to making his F1 debut in 2011.

His career has been largely supported by compatriot Carlos Slim Helu - the world's richest individual from 2010 to 2013 - through his Mexican telecom company Telmex.

“It’s great to announce my new team as Sahara Force India," said Perez. "Coming here was always my first choice and I’m really happy everything has now been confirmed. I want to say thank you to Vijay and the whole team for giving me the opportunity. This is a young team with a lot of determination and they’ve produced competitive cars for the last few years."