Toni Vilander will return to Ferrari's World Endurance Championship driver lineup for a one-off appearance at the 6 Hours of the Nürburgring on July 16.
The Finn, 36, will replace AF Corse regular Sam Bird, who is taking part in the New York round of the Formula E championship on the same weekend.
Bird's commitments with Virgin DS Racing – which also employs Toyota LMP1 driver José María López – left a vacant seat in the No. 71 Ferrari 488 next to Davide Rigon.
Rigon and Bird currently sit third in the GTE world championship, following a victory at Spa and a top-four points result at Le Mans.
“I’m happy to be able to return to the FIA WEC with the 488 GTE of AF Corse team”, said Vilander, who spent three full seasons with Ferrari in the WEC from 2012-15.
"Car number 71 is in the top places of the championship standings, and I will give all I have to achieve the best possible result at Nürburgring, to help Ferrari in the Manufacturers’ Championship and Davide Rigon in the Drivers’ ranking”.
Vilander last raced for Ferrari's WEC team in 2015, having made his debut in 2012.
During that time, he won nine GTE-Pro races, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2012 and 2014, and also clinched the drivers' championship in '14 with Gianmaria Bruni.
Since moving away from the WEC, Vilander has plied his trade with the factory-assisted Risi Competizione squad, which competes in the North American IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship.
The team also raced at Le Mans as a guest entry, although the Ferrari retired early with crash damage.
Vilander has stated that the Nürburgring round will give him his "chance to cancel the disappointment of the 24 Hours of Le Mans as soon as possible."
Although the Nürburgring replacement is understood to be a one-off, it could harm Bird's position in the GTE standings heading into the second half of the season.
