The Associated Press reports that Formula 1 veteran Rubens Barrichello will test KV Racing's Chevrolet-powered DW12 IndyCar at Sebring next week β presumably as a tryout for a possible switch to IndyCar racing this season, although the AP report says its source insists Barrichello has no plans in place beyond the test, scheduled for next Tuesday and Wednesday. SPEED.com, which also confirmed the story, says Barrichello will drive alongside KV racer Tony Kanaan, who is a longtime personal friend of his.
Barrichello is the most experienced F1 driver of all time with 322 career starts, from which he scored 11 wins and 14 pole positions, but has lost his ride with the Williams F1 team, which opted to replace him with Bruno Senna. With only the second seat at HRT seemingly still available in F1, the Brazilian admitted he was considering other career options. He had previously been linked with a possible IndyCar test at the end of 2009, although he insisted at the time that the rumors had been baseless. In the aftermath of Williams' signing of Senna, Barrichello had again seemed to rule out an IndyCar move.
βFor sure I will not race on the American ovals β I have promised that to my wife, and I will honor that,β he said. Of course, only four of the 15 IZOD IndyCar Series rounds scheduled this year take place on oval tracks...