LONDON (Reuters) – Audi suspended German driver Daniel Abt with immediate effect on Tuesday after he got a professional gamer to race under his name in a Formula E esports race at the weekend.
Abt apologised on Sunday for the deception in the series’ ‘Race at Home Challenge’ and was fined 10,000 euros ($10,956).
“Integrity, transparency and consistent compliance with applicable rules are top priorities for Audi — this applies to all activities the brand is involved in without exception,” said Audi in a statement.
“For this reason, Audi Sport has decided to suspend Daniel Abt with immediate effect.”
The real-life Formula E season is currently suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Christian Radnedge)
