Vautier to sign with Sam Schmidt?

UPDATE

Vautier

This rumor is upgraded to 'fact' today. Vautier will be announced by Sam Schmidt Motorsports Tuesday as their 2nd IndyCar driver alongside Simon Pagenaud making it an all-French lineup. Vautier will receive the full $1 million advancement prize due to signing to drive for a team that does not have a Leader Circle contract for the second entry he will pilot. We have updated our 2013 IndyCar Silly Season Page.

01/04/13 Rumor has it that with Sam Schmidt signing Lucas Oil, adding an equity partner, getting engineer McDonald from the Andretti team and with what Tristan Vautier has been posting on Twitter, our limited French, and his Indy Lights Championship money tells us Vautier is about to sign with Schmidt in the car that had long been earmarked for Rubens Barrichello.

And that combo of Pagenaud and Vautier is going to put Schmidt/Hamilton right behind the big three teams. We have updated our IndyCar Silly Season page above.