Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing still confident of second IndyCar entry alongside Takuma Sato

Rahal Letterman Lanigan last competed full-time when it fielded a single car for Ryan Hunter-Reay in 2008, although it has competed in selected races since. Sato's move to the squad from KV Racing was confirmed last week, and Rahal is hopeful that he will be able to sign a team-mate for the Japanese driver.

"In regards to the second car, we're very close on that," Rahal said. "Right now [the task is] getting Taku's car ready for those tests [at Barber and Sebring], and working hard to finalise our second driver. The second car is being prepared as we speak. As far as we're concerned, we're going to have two cars, two drivers, and that's really our focus at this point in time."

Rahal Letterman Lanigan did not attend last week's test at Sebring, opting instead to spend additional time on a seven-post rig. Teams are limited to 1,000 miles of testing before the season starts, which Rahal believes the team can comfortably cover in the tests that remain.

Meanwhile, recent Andretti Autosport signing James Hinchcliffe has admitted that the chances of his team adding a fourth car alongside himself, Marco Andretti and Hunter-Reay are slimming.

"There's always the chance for that, but as each day goes by, the chances go down for another full-time effort," the Canadian told AUTOSPORT.