Other than his F1 commitments, Nico Hulkenberg is to contest the Le Mans 24-Hour race with Porsche in 2015.

"The first driver for the third Porsche 919 Hybrid to be entered in the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2015 has been signed, Nico Hulkenberg will join the Porsche Team" said the WEC outfit in a statement today.

"The 27-year-old German will be the first active Formula One driver since 2009 to take the start of the famous endurance event," the statement continued. "Before entering the race at the Sarthe on June 13/14, Nico will race the second generation of the innovative Le Mans Prototype on May 2 in the six-hour race at Spa. However, this will not be his first experience with a Porsche Hybrid race car; back in 2010 Nico took the 911 GT3-R Hybrid for a test run to the Nurburgring Nordschleife.

"Porsche and Le Mans, this combination probably attracts every race driver," said the Force India driver. "I've been a Porsche fan for a long time and have been watching their return to the LMP1 class closely. The desire grew to drive that car at Le Mans. I am very pleased the 2015 Formula One calendar allows for it and I'm grateful to my Sahara Force India Formula One Team's generosity to let me go for it. Now it's up to me to work hard to satisfy both commitments."

Hulkenberg will recognise a familiar face on his WEC outings, that of Mark Webber who quit F1 at the end of 2013 to spearhead Porsche's WEC return.

An agreement between the FIA and F1's commercial right holder means that the 24-Hour classic - which takes place on June 13/14 next year - doesn't clash with a round of the F1 championship.