Williams third driver, Alex Wurz will be back racing full-time in F1 in 2007, following the announcement on Wednesday that he will partner Nico Rosberg at the ꦯGrove-based squad next season.

Wurz's appointment is something of a surprise, as while he has impressed the team since join🔥ing them from McLaren-Mercedes at the start of this year, the Austrian hasn't actually raced properly since he was with Benetton, now the Renault team, where he raced between 1997-2000.

Furthermore while he competed at the San Marino Grand Prix last year, finishing fourth when he stood in for Juan Pablo Montoya, following the Colombian's tennis injury, that has🐲 been his sole outing in the sport since being dropped by Benetton at the end of 2000.

"My natural habitat is racing, so I couldn't be happier to have received Williams' vote of confidence for this job next season," said Wurz, who will now be🅺 back in a race-seat full-time after a six-year break. "Of course I know the team well having been a part of the race programme at every Grand Prix this season, but now my role takes on additional responsibility and I am really looking forward to this."

Nico Rosber꧃g meanwhile was also delighted, the German having made his debut in F1 this year with the team, after winning the GP2 championshi🔜p in 2005, F1's feeder series.

"Stability and continuity are very important for me in the early stages of my Formula One career, so I am really pleased that we are now set for next year and that I will continue to work with Alex," he added. "I have learnt a lot from the team and I hope I have contributed my fair share too, ♌but now we have the basis to step it up for the🧸 remainder of this season and next."

To date this season, Rosberg has been pretty impressive, not least on his debut in⛦ Bahrain, when he set the fastest lap of the race on route to seventh and his first points.