Toyota driver Kamui Kobayashi has said that when he was driving in GP2 earlier this season, prior to covering for Timo Glock in a F1 Toyota race seat, he no longer had any money to race in the F1 feeder series and almost went to work in his father’s sushi restaurant, until the lucky break of an F1 drive following a bad crash from the German, Timo Glock.

Kobayashi has impressed in his 2 F1 races ending this season, finishing 9th and 6th respectively prompting strong rumours that he will be offered a Toyota race seat for 2010, a rumour strengthened by the Toyota F1 boss saying that he was impressed with Kobayshi.

The 23 year old Japanese driver Kobayshi said:

“I have no budget, no budget. So I cannot drive GP2 next year. I would probably go back to Japan to maybe work with my father in his sushi restaurant.”

“It was like that two months ago, seriously. When I was 16 years old I worked there, making sushi.”

Toyota Motorsport President John Howett praised Kobayashi for his fighting spirit, but Kobayashi wondered what the fuss was about.

“I don’t need to be worried for me because it is not the Mafia.”

“I have tried to be a Toyota driver for next year but I didn’t know how much I could show before. I just had to do the best at each moment and it seems to have finally worked well.”

“Still I have many things to do. I have to improve qualifying and I need time. But the last two weeks have been quite good for me.”