Permanently fired by Audi, Daniel Abt explains: “I take responsibility for this error”

The suspension of Daniel Abt by his Audi Sport team en Formula E continues to create a stir. Pinned for cheating during the Race at Home Challenge race in Berlin (he had given up his place to a professional simracer without warning the organizers), Daniel Abt broadcast an explanatory video on Tuesday May 26 at the end of the afternoon.

« As everyone knows, we are going through difficult times. The coronavirus has disrupted the lives of many people and this also affects motorsport. As Formula E has paused its championship, we have implemented the Race at Home Challenge.

It's a virtual competition, which has no other purpose than to entertain you, the fans, and to raise funds for Unicef. There are no titles or bonuses to be won. These races are based on the rFactor 2 game, which is definitely far from what a real game can give. car of Formula E.

It doesn't drive like real life, there aren't the same sensations, and the races aren't similar to reality. I think that was reflected during the Challenge rounds. There were a lot of accidents, everyone drove as they wanted. There were also bugs. »

Daniel Abt therefore explains that these virtual meetings remain far removed from the professionalism seen on urban circuits in the real world. “ I think that doesn't reflect what makes a Formula E ePrix. Yet we participated in every event, to have fun. 

Personnellement, The outcome didn't matter from the start. This is not the reason why (I cheated). It became clear that some pilots took it very seriously and others, like me, approached it in a relaxed manner. »

The idea of ​​being replaced by a professional simracer came during a conversation with other Esports specialists. “The project of a simracer that could show “real” drivers what it was capable of was fun. We wanted to document this bet and make it a funny story for the fans. 

We thought about it during a Twitch live viewed by 1 people. We wanted to reveal the subterfuge in a video after the race. It is vital for me to add that being replaced to get a better result was in no way my intention. There was no money involved, either for the simracer or for me. »

This joke went very wrong, but the most curious thing about this story is that Daniel Abt's opponents would have been informed! « I didn't want to hide that from them. We even talked about it on WhatsApp groups and I gave some hints.

I asked them what time would be likely to put him in the top 5. They answered and the simracer did his time. He then finished third in the race. »

As proof of good faith, the German explains that he did not use a VPN to distort the traceability of the simracer's Internet connections. “Shortly after arrival, I realized that the situation was taking a turn that I could not have even imagined.

They (the organizers) checked who had driven. From the beginning I recognized that it wasn't me. I was asked to pay 10 euros to an association as a first sanction, which I did immediately. »

The media are singled out by the pilot. « They treated me like a cheater, without giving me the chance to speak, or to explain to them what really happened. »

“We have gone too far with this idea. We didn't think about the consequences. I own this error and accept the effects. »

Therefore, Daniel Abt and Audi are no longer associated. “Our paths separate. We will no longer drive together in Formula E,The cooperation is over. It's painful, I've never felt such a painful feeling in my life. 

I have fallen very low, but I will get up and I will come back. I need time to think about my future. »