Kevin Magnussen has described his last-minute deal to return to the Formula 1 grid with Renault "incredible".
The Danish driver was ousted by McLaren late last year and found himself without a seat, but with Pastor Maldonado running into trouble with his personal sponsor, an opportunity for Magnussen to take up the Venezuelan's seat materialised.
He was officially announced as Jolyon Palmer's team-mate for 2016 at an event on Wednesday following months of speculation.
"It's an incredible feeling and it means so much," said Magnussen. "I can't believe I'm now a part of it.
"It's not only a Formula 1 drive but it's a top drive. Renault Sport will be fighting for world championships in the future, it might have a build-up phase, but they're here to win and that's a goal I share."
Magnussen held a full-time race seat with McLaren in 2014, scoring a podium on his debut. However with the signing of two-time champion Fernando Alonso, the 23-year-old was forced into a reserve role before finally exiting the team last year.
Magnussen is hoping to prove McLaren made a mistake dropping him: "Hopefully I'll prove many points [in 2016]. I'm extremely motivated after a whole year away. I've been sitting on the sideline during the races for so many weekends and I'm hungry to come back and prove my worth."
