McLaren F1 reserve Sette Camara moves to DAMS for 2019 F2 season

The move had been predicted since the end of this year's campaign, and Sette Camara drove for DAMS throughout the post-season test in Abu Dhabi.

With DAMS also retaining Williams F1 reserve Nicholas Latifi for a third season, 20-year-old Brazilian Sette Camara completes what team principal Jean-Paul Driot described as "such a strong team" for 2019.

"We are excited for Sergio to come on board with us," said Driot.

"We have followed him for several years and in 2018 he demonstrated his impressive speed with a lot of podium finishes.

"The goal is to fight for both championships, and Sergio should be in the battle for victories at every race.

"We hope to give him the best opportunity to showcase his skills next year, and earn an F1 drive in the near future."

Though Sette Camara could not repeat the race win he achieved with MP Motorsport in 2017 after moving to series returnee Carlin for '18, he proved well-matched on pace with McLaren F1 bound team-mate Lando Norris and finished sixth in the championship.

He said he had been well aware of DAMS's junior single-seater pedigree before joining the team for the test, and was not disappointed by what he found there.

"The team is extremely well prepared, which I've seen first-hand when I went to the workshop and during the Abu Dhabi test," said Sette Camara.

"Through my career DAMS has always been a reference in Formula 2 and GP2 before that. It has had plenty of success across the various series it has competed in.

"I already know many of the squad members, especially the F2 department who made me feel really comfortable.

"It's very satisfying when you go to a team and feel so welcome. I am looking forward to 2019, and believe we will have an excellent season."