James Hinchcliffe confident first IndyCar win is in sight

Entering his second year with the Andretti outfit, Hinchcliffe said he is "itching to get 2013 started" after slipping down the standings late last year.

"We had a strong first year with Andretti Autosport in 2012," he said. "And for me now it's important to build on that and try to improve on the areas where we were a little weak last year, and even on the areas we felt were strong.

"This is a competitive series and there is always room for improvement. And we're looking forward to just getting 2013 underway.

"We know we're a team that's capable of winning and especially now bringing that experience of Craig [Hampson, Hinchcliffe's former engineer at Newman/Haas] on board and the working relationship that we already have. We know each other, and we're going to put our heads down and get to work.

"So we're not worried [that the first win] must be done by this race or this day or anything like that, but if we do our jobs right, then hopefully that day is going to come."

The Canadian impressed at the start of his first year with Andretti by running second in the standings halfway through 2012, but his form faltered as the season progressed, leading to an eighth place finish overall.

"We've spent a lot of time, trust me, in the off-season looking at that and going over it event by event. And we've certainly found some weaknesses and some places that we can improve.

"Yeah, luck is part of it, but like I said, you have to work hard to get good luck. And that will be our approach to this year and hopefully the rest falls into play."

Hinchcliffe took over Danica Patrick's seat in Andretti's GoDaddy-backed #27 car after the American moved to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series series full-time.

Hinchcliffe admitted that Patrick's Daytona 500 pole raised the pressure on him to stay in the spotlight.

"With the attention that she brings and the success that she's having early, I think it adds a little bit of pressure to hold up my end of the bargain inside the GoDaddy family," he said.