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US F1's Jose Maria Lopez - Source: Reuters -
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The new US F1 team announced Argentina's Jose Maria Lopez as their first driver on Tuesday.
"Securing Pechito' Lopez for our debut season has been a goal of ours for a long time," said US F1 executive vice president Peter Windsor in a statement.
"We've been following his career since he dominated the Renault V6 Championship in 2003 and we're thrilled to have him on board as we return America to Formula One."
Lopez, 26, will make his debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix, the opening race of the championship, on March 14 as the 24th Argentine in Formula One and first since Gaston Mazzacane left Prost in 2001.
The announcement came after several days of meetings between Windsor and Lopez's sponsors in the Argentine capital and was announced officially by Argentina's president Cristina Fernandez.
Media reports have indicated that part of the money Lopez needed to secure a seat with USF1 was being put up by a group of firms that have backed the driver from the start of his negotiations, with added input from the Argentine government.
Lopez, who is from the northern province of Cordoba, is a former Renault test driver and has more than 6,000km of Formula One testing behind him.
"This is a truly memorable day for me, my family and the people of Argentina," said Lopez in a statement.
"Of course a new F1 team faces many challenges but our goal is to improve with each race and build a foundation that will eventually see this team competing for wins and championships."
US F1 are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and are the the only American-based team on the grid in 2010 and the first in more than 40 years.
