Audi suspends Abt over Formula E Esports ringer ploy

Audi Sport has suspended Daniel Abt with immediate effect following the ill-fated imposture scheme exploited by the German driver in last weekend 'Race at Home' event.

Abt's entry had finished third in the Berlin virtual FE race but several of the Audi charger's rivals expressed doubts about whether the latter had actually been the one controlling his own car.

An investigation by Formula E's organisers revealed that the IP address associated with Abt's entry belonged to pro sim-racer Lorenz Hoerzing. Confronted with the evidence, Abt acknowledged the ploy which initially led to his disqualification from the event and a €10,000 fine donated to charity.

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

But Audi Sport wasn't prepared to let its driver off the hook. Appalled by the 27-year-old's lack of ‘integrity, transparency and consistent compliance’, the manufacturer has pulled Abt off its Formula E team.

"Daniel Abt did not drive his car in qualifying and the race at the fifth event of the Race at Home Challenge on May 23 himself, but let a professional sim-racer do so," said Audi in a statement.

"He directly apologised for this on the following day and accepted the disqualification.

"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.

"For this reason, Audi Sport has decided to suspend Daniel Abt with immediate effect."

Daniel Abt took to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon to announce that he will post a video statement later in the day.

(Updated)

Abt's emotional statement his been posted on YouTube. It's in German but you can activate the english subtitles.

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