Sauber have put an end to rumours that Giancarlo Fisichella is in the frame for a drive, confirming that their second race-seat will in fact go to McLaren tester Pedro de la Rosa.

The team announced on Tuesday that de la Rosa, who has spent the past seven years acting as McLaren's test and reserve driver, will return to racing this season.

The 38-year-old Spaniard, who was previously linked to a race-seat with newcomer Campos Meta, last competed in a F1 grand prix in 2006 when he filled in at McLaren for eight races.

"I always firmly believed I would be given another chance as a team driver," he said. "Since the number of test drives were radically reduced, this was what I was working towards.

"I'm really excited about the season with Peter Sauber's team, which has been a solid fixture in Formula 1 ever since 1993."

Team boss Peter Sauber, who has already confirmed the signing of rookie driver Kamui Kobayashi, added: "We as a team stand to gain from his experience, and the same goes for young Kamui.

"The combination of a seasoned racer and an up-and-coming young driver has repeatedly proved a very fruitful one. I don't expect either of them to disappoint in 2010.

"Of course it is also crucial that we provide them with a decent car - I feel positive about our in-house progress on that front too. We were able to continue work on our 2010 car as scheduled throughout the recent period of uncertainty."