Grosjean becomes first Haas F1 driver

The move was confirmed on Tuesday in a press conference at the team's base in North Carolina.

Grosjean will join the American team after leaving the Lotus squad amid uncertainty about its future following months of financial struggles.

On Monday, however, Renault announced it had signed a Letter of Intent to purchase the Enstone team.

Grosjean, 29, is currently ninth in the standings, his best finish of the year being a third place at Spa - the 10th podium of his Grand Prix career.

"I've spent ten years in Enstone [at Lotus], I know the guys very well, and it would have been easy to stay comfortable and stay there," said the Frenchman.

"But in the end I want to try win races, win championships, and I felt coming here to Haas was a good step in a good direction to achieve that."

Grosjean has raced in F1 with Lotus since the start of the 2012 season, having clinched the GP2 title the previous year.

"We wanted an experienced driver capable of developing our car and our race team into one that can score points and better itself each race and each season. We found him in Romain Grosjean," said Gene Haas.

"I've been involved in motorsports for a long time and learned early on the most crucial component is the driver. Romain has strong credentials and he will be an important asset to Haas F1 Team."

Haas has yet to announce who will partner Grosjean, but Ferrari test driver Esteban Gutierrez is believed to be the main candidate for the seat.