INDYCAR: Barrichello's Future Is Wide Open

INDYCAR: Barrichello’s Future Is Wide Open

Rubens Barrichello tells Marshall Pruett he isn't sure where or what he'll drive in 2013, but continues to seek sponsors for a return to IndyCar.

Marshall Pruett | Posted December 05, 2012

Rubens Barrichello thoroughly enjoyed his first experience of racing Indy cars in America and wants to return, but has been unable to find the final portion of the budget to make it happen. (Photo: Marshall Pruett)

If you happen to know where Rubens Barrichello will be driving next year, please share it with the 19-year F1 veteran because it’s a question he’s been struggling to answer on his own.

With a rookie IndyCar season that offered more mixed results than expected, Barrichello wants nothing more than to return for a second crack at the IZOD IndyCar Series championship, but with only a portion of the budget in hand to pay for that return, the Brazilian told SPEED.com he isn't sure which team—or series—he’ll call home next year.

Barrichello's distinctive two-tone KV Racing machine carried him to 12th in the championship after turning a limited number of laps prior to the season opener. (Photo: Marshall Pruett)

“It isn’t much of a secret there isn’t anything happening,” he said while preparing for this weekend’s million-dollar Brazilian Stock Car race at Interlagos. “For two months I’ve been talking to people and trying very hard, but (the situation) hasn’t moved much since the last race in Fontana. The world is going through a financial crisis and it isn’t happening, quite honestly. I’m not sure what else to do. I’ve offered so much, but I still have to find money to race in IndyCar.”

With the help from an assortment of sponsors from Brazil, Barrichello signed to drive alongside his friend Tony Kanaan at KV Racing little more than a month before the 2012 season began, and despite the late start, the 39-year-old adapted quite well and made the most of the circumstances.

But with a steep learning curve to overcome and a team that went through its fair share of fluctuations, the chance of Barrichello and his sponsors signing on for 2013 grew more and more unlikely as the championship progressed.

As this writer revealed in August, he began exploring his options outside of the Chevy-powered KV team, and spoke with the likes of Penske, Rahal, and Sam Schmidt about a change of address. Barrichello also maintained close ties with Honda from his tenure with the Japanese manufacturer’s F1 program, which influenced which brand to partner with once he was done at KV.

A number of Brazilian companies came together to support Barrichello's rookie IndyCar season, but it's believed the quest to find a replacement for BMC has been the biggest hurdle. (Photo: Marshall Pruett)

And with the marque aiding and expanding his hunt for new sponsors, a switch to the Schmidt Hamilton team--as part of an expanded two-car program with Simon Pagenaud—was extremely close by Baltimore.

Bridging the sponsorship gap to join Pagenaud, however, became a bigger challenge than was predicted, turning a pending announcement into a wait-and-see affair as they sought to complete Barrichello’s funding requirements.

With that process having crawled to a stop, rumors emerged that Barrichello and Bobby Rahal were working on a potential deal. But with another driver closing in on the second RLL seat, there’s no guarantee he’ll end up with Rahal, Schmidt, or anyone else unless more dollars can be found.

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