Van der Garde switches to P1 for '08

The Dutch driver finished sixth in the standings in 2007 with Victory Engineering, and he believes that remaining in the series is his best option for this year.

The 22-year-old tested for the Spyker F1 team last year, and he also drove for them towards the end of the year under the Force India team name.

He was thought to be one of the drivers going for the second race seat at the team before Wednesday's announcement of his 2008 plans.

"I am very proud to announce that I signed a contract with P1 Motorsport," said the 22-year-old. "It was a difficult decision because I had several options in World Series as well as GP2.

"It was my personal decision to make this step. I want to win again and I am convinced that I can achieve this with P1 Motorsport."

Van der Garde tested with the team towards the end of last year, and he added that the team's performance at the tests convinced him to sign with them.

"The two test days in Valencia convinced me," he said. "The team is very professional and ambitious. And the set-up of the race car fits me perfectly.

"That's why we were very quick in testing, and I have only one goal in 2008 - winning the World Series by Renault."

P1 joined the series through a tie-up with Cram Competition last year, and team boss Roly Vincini believes that the team needs a driver like van der Garde.

"We have the ambition to win the championship, but we can only achieve this by hiring the best available driver," said Vincini. "We need raw speed.

"Giedo brings not only talent but also a lot of experience. The test in Valencia showed that Giedo and P1 are a winning team, and we are looking forward to the first race."