A Formula E driver has been disqualified and fined after an official virtual race for letting a professional gamer compete in his place.
Audi Formula E driver Daniel Abt was handed a $16,000 fine and stripped of his points from the latest FE Race at Home Challenge race for letting an e-sports racer control his virtual car.
Abt, who originally finished third in the fifth round of Formula E’s sim racing series yesterday, was found out after Mercedes Formula E driver Stoffel Vandoorne accused him of not driving in the race.
“Really not happy here because that was not Daniel driving the car himself, and he messed up everything. That was ridiculous,” Vandoorne said on his Twitch stream.
Formula E released a statement last night that confirmed Abt had been disqualified from the race due to “sporting misconduct”.
Abt failed to score a single point in the first four rounds of the season and it’ll remain that way after the league’s punishments were handed out this morning.
Abt apologised for his actions in a statement and admitted he didn’t take the series as seriously as he should have.
“I would like to apologise to Formula E, all of my fans, my team and my fellow drivers for having called in outside help during the race,” Abt said.
“I did not take it as seriously as I should have. I am especially sorry about this because I know how much work has gone into this project on the part of the Formula E organisation.
“I am aware that my offence has a bitter aftertaste, but it was never meant with any bad intention. Of course, I accept my disqualification from the race.”
Sim racer Lorenz Hoerzing, 18, who drives for Audi in the parallel Challenge series for e-sports drivers, has been banned from entering any future Challenge rounds.
Abt’s disqualification means Audi sits at the bottom of the Race at Home Challenge points table – the only team with zero points.
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