F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Formula E uncovers Abt imposter 'Race at Home' ruse!

Audi's Daniel Abt was disqualified from his podium finish in Saturday's Formula E Race at Home Challenge after the German driver admitted a pro sim racer had raced in the event in his place.

Abt - or rather the Audi driver's entry - finished third behind Oliver Rowland and Stoffel Vandoorne in yesterday's virtual Race at Home Challenge which took place at Berlin's Templehof Airport.

But doubts whether Abt had taken part in the event emerged immediately after the checkered flag, when a quizzical Vandoorne questioned whether his real-life FE rival had actually been the one doing the driving.

According to website The Race, Formula E's smart techies quickly uncovered the senseless shenanigans when they cross-referenced the IP addresses of the relevant drivers and discovered that the #66 Audi had been operated by pro sim racer Lorenz Hoerzing!

Abt was logically disqualified and ordered to make a "compulsory donation" of €10,000 to a charity!
As for Hoerzing, the imprudent imposter has been banned outright from FE's Race Challenge.

A flustered Abt was forced to admit his misdemeanor, issuing a personal statement on Sunday.

"I would like to apologize to Formula E, all of the fans, my team and my fellow drivers for having called in outside help during the race on Saturday," said Abt

"I didn’t take it as seriously as I should have. I’m especially sorry about this, because I know how much work has gone into this project on the part of the Formula E organization.

"I am aware that my offence has a bitter aftertaste, but it was never meant with any bad intention.

"Of course, I accept the disqualification from the race. In addition, I will donate 10,000 Euros to a charitable project."

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Michael Delaney

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