Alfa Romeo Sauber ♑has confirmed Marcus Ericsson will become the Formula 1 team's third driver and ambassador in 2019 after losing his race seat.

Ericsson has raced for Sauber since the start of 2015, recording a best finish of P8 in his deb𝓰ut outing for the team, but was confirmed to be out of a seat for next year on Tuesday as Ferrari junior Antonio Giovinazzi took his place. Giovinazzi will form an all-new line-up at Sauber alongside Kimi Raikkonen for 2019.

Ericsson - who has links to Sauber's owners - will however remain part of the setup at Hinwil, taking up a role that will see him become the team's third driver, as well as being a💎 brand ambassador for the Swiss outfi⛎t.

We are delighted to announce that will continue to be part of our team

Marcus will be taking on the roleꦇ of Third Driver and Brand Ambassa🐎dor + + = DREAM TEAM!!

— Sauber F1 Team (@SauberF1Team)

"I am thankful for the past five years of my c﷽areer which I have spent racing in Formula One. I am proud to have represente💧d Sauber for four of those years, and for having raced for such an iconic brand as Alfa Romeo this season," Ericsson said.

"I would have loved to continue🌟 on this path, but having a driver like Kimi Räikkönen on board is a great opportunity for the whole team. Going forward, I will continue contributing to the development of the team as I have always done, with full dedication and all of my support.”

Ericsson also posted a messag൲e on Twitter in which he confirmed he was o🍨pen to exploring racing options in other series for 2019.