Formula E racer Daniel Abt sacked by Audi over esports cheating

Audi have sacked Formula E driver Daniel Abt after the German was found to have cheated during a virtual race last weekend.

Abt, who has been part of Audi’s set up in the electric-powered-vehicle series since 2014, allowed a professional gamer to compete in his place during the fifth round of the sport’s ‘Race at Home Challenge’.

Like Formula 1’s Virtual Grands Prix, the series has been replacing real races during the coronavirus shutdown.

"Today I was informed in a conversation with Audi that our ways will split from now on, we won't be racing together in Formula E any more and the cooperation has ended," Abt said in a video on YouTube.

The 27-year-old denied using the substitute driver to gain an advantage, insisting the move was supposed to “create a funny story”, and he has subsequently made a €10,000 donation to charity.

"Looking back, we did not think enough about the seriousness and the consequences of the situation. We made a huge mistake there," said Abt.

"It was never my intention to let another driver drive for me to get a result and keep quiet about it later on just to make me look better."