Van der Drift returns for Navarra

The Kimi suffered multiple injuries to his leg, back and hands when he clipped Julien Jousse's car and somersaulted into a bridge parapet on Brands Hatch's back straight at 252 km/h just under three months ago.

Although van der Drift had been optimistic about his chances of returning before the end of the season, it looked like he had been ruled out when his Olympiacos team announced that his substitute Ben Hanley would complete the year.

But van der Drift will now line up for Galatasaray in the Spanish event this weekend.

"I've had an incredible couple of months and it's been my main objective to get back before the end of the season," van der Drift said.

"It would have been nice to carry on with Olympiacos but that couldn't happen because Ben already had the deal to replace me. But you know I'm just excited to be back in a car driving again."

Van der Drift explained that a test in a kart had convinced him that he was ready to race again.

"I've felt good for a couple of weeks now but knew getting in a kart would offer a true test because of the vibrations and what not," he said.

"I had absolutely no problems at all and honestly didn't feel anything. From that day I knew I was ready."