Lotus to run Roy Nissany and Rene Binder in Formula V8 3.5

Run by Gravity-Charouz, Lotus finished runner-up in last year's teams' championship, thanks largely to Matthieu Vaxiviere, who finished second in the drivers' standings.

Nissany joins the team from Tech 1 Racing, where he scored a best result of third at the Red Bull Ring in his rookie season.

The Israeli drove for Lotus at the final test of 2015 at the Circuit de Catalunya, topping a session during the two-day test.

"I felt really comfortable with the car and all the crew during the winter test in Barcelona," said Nissany.

"I can't wait to be back in that car, as it was a great experience."

Binder raced in GP2 since late 2012 with Lazarus, Arden, Trident and Manor, and made a one-off Formula Renault 3.5 appearance at the Nurburgring last year with Pons.

"After three disappointing years in GP2, I am really motivated for great results," Binder said.

"I think this team can help me to achieve it, and I totally trust them for car preparation.

"I ran only drove in one race [in the category] last season, so I have to find the right chemistry with the Michelin tyres and there are also a couple of tracks that I've never raced on before."