The Brazilian has been out of work since being dropped by Renault in early August, a move that sparked the now infamous ‘crashgate’ scandal.

Although Piquet has reiterated his target remains a return to Formula One, that would appear unlikely, even though he claims he is talking to other teams.

However, if the comments of Toyota and Red Bull team principals John Howett and Christian Horner are anything to go by in Japan last week, when both said they would not employ Piquet, it is hard to see the 24-year-old in F1 in 2010.

With Piquet desperate for employment, he has ­accepted the chance to test a Toyota Tundra for Red Horse Racing, who compete in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. It is a far cry from F1, yet Piquet said: “Red Horse Racing invited me and I found it interesting. It’s a different world that I’ve never experienced.”

Piquet, though, dismissed the prospect of switching to NASCAR. “That’s not really the plan. This is more about exploring an exciting opportunity. I would be interested in driving many kinds of cars if I had the opportunity, whether it was a rally car, Indycar or anything like that.

“I did a round of the Porsche Supercup a few years ago and I did the Le Mans 24 Hours, which was an amazing experience.

“I definitely want to do Le Mans again. But my focus is still on F1. I will not rest until I have proven myself in F1.”