Former Formula One world champion Kimi Raikkonen will return to the sport next year with Renault, the team announced Tuesday.
The Finn, who was the 2007 world champion with Ferrari, left the sport in 2009 to join the World Rally Championship. Raikkonen, who appeared in a NASCAR Nationwide Series race and a Camping World Truck Series race in May, signed a two-year deal with Renault, the team said in a statement.
"I'm delighted to be coming back to Formula 1 after a two-year break, and I'm grateful to Lotus Renault GP for offering me this opportunity," Raikkonen said. "My time in the World Rally Championship has been a useful stage in my career as a driver, but I can't deny the fact that my hunger for F1 has recently become overwhelming."
Raikkonen, 32, has 18 wins and 16 pole positions in F1, and his aggressive driving style won him plenty of fans in the sport.
"It was an easy choice to return with Lotus Renault GP, as I have been impressed by the scope of the team's ambition. Now I'm looking forward to playing an important role in pushing the team to the very front of the grid," he said.
Renault struggled in the just-ended season, ranking fifth in the constructors' standings but lacking the pace to challenge at the front of the grid.
The team's season was rocked when its star driver, Robert Kubica, suffered serious injuries in a February rallying crash. The Polish racer said last week that he would not be fit for the start of the 2012 season.
