Rubens Barrichello says KV Racing has struggled to adapt to new IndyCar chassis

As reported by AUTOSPORT this week, Barrichello looks set to leave the team at the end of the season following a disappointing maiden campaign in IndyCar.

The former Formula 1 driver admitted he was hoping for a more competitive season and said he was interested in joining a Honda-powered team for 2013.

Barrichello believes KV has struggled to get the best out of the new car introduced for this year.

"It hasn't been a dream season," Barrichello said. "It's almost like I feel that if they kept last year's car... They had a lot of knowledge about the car, and a lot of things, and although I am testing so many things, I don't think the team still has a good baseline set-up, and can provide a good starting position.

"So we are almost always playing catch-up, and the only reason why team-mate Tony [Kanaan] has had so many great results is because he has been fantastic on restarts, and just picking himself out of trouble. When you are the front it is much easier to hold people, and save fuel, and so on."

Barrichello has regularly looked strong early during the early stages of race weekends only to fade as the race approaches, and he admitted that one of the biggest battles this season lain in evolving the car's setup to match changes in the track conditions.

"When the track is not as rubbered in, we are better," he said. "As soon as the rubber comes in, we struggle a little bit. And we have been struggling on the bumps. That's probably the reason why we are not as good as we would have liked. I've been on the ball all the time, but...

"If the championship was run in Europe, OK this car is different, but I would have known the tracks. So in one lap, you tick the box. Now I go to a track that I don't know very well against people who have been driving it for the last 11 years. It's a very competitive series.

"The tracks go up and down, and have bumps. It takes time to get 100 percent familiar with the car. You don't have tyre warmers, there is no power steering... I already got used to that. But then you go to a new track. I keep saying, if I had eight races, and then had eight races again at the same places, I would have done a lot better."