F3.5 to become WEC support series in 2017

F3.5, which has undergone a rebranding since Renault withdrew its support at the end of last year, will contest its rounds alongside WEC's six-hour races at Silverstone, Nurburgring, Bahrain International Circuit, Fuji, Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez and Spa-Francorchamps in 2017.

The Bahrain round, therefore, is likely to mark the first time the series has raced outside of Europe since 2002 at Interlagos.

"Today, I am pleased to announce that this agreement with the FIA World Endurance Championship is the most exciting project of my professional career," said Jaime Alguersuari Sr., boss of series promoter RPM Racing.

"The new series, linked to the FIA WEC, is a historic challenge because a single-seater championship of this level has never before offered such a wide international calendar at an affordable budget.

"Racing in the same major events where official manufacturer teams from renowned automotive brands such as Toyota, Audi, Porsche as well as Ferrari, Aston Martin, Ford and Corvette are competing in the world's leading endurance championship, will allow our talented drivers to show off their skills in front of a prestigious and knowledgeable audience.

"Therefore, making an effort to reach the agreement between the FIA WEC and RPM was definitely worth it."

As part of the agreement, three of the top drivers of the 2017 campaign will get to take part in the end-of-season WEC rookie test in Bahrain - in the LMP1, LMP2 and GTE classes.

"It is very good news that the V8 3.5 series will join the FIA WEC race meetings from 2017," said FIA WEC CEO Gerard Neveu.

"Great news for the fans, but also for the young drivers who are the champions of the future, and the future is tomorrow.

"This single-seater championship has demonstrated for many years how very appealing and exciting it can be, while at the same time providing many great champions.

"It make sense to offer to the new generation of drivers access to a well-established championship such as the FIA WEC. The fact that the champions will have an opportunity to take part in the WEC's official rookie test at the end of the season will be additional motivation and a target for everyone on the grid."