Audi has announced Rene Rast as the replacement of Daniel Abt at its Formula E racing team for the remaining six rounds of the 2020 season.
Abt was fired from the team after he used a professional sim-racer in his place in an official esports race, without letting anyone know about it.
Abt immediately apologized for his actions but denied cheating, adding later in a video that his intention was to create “a funny story for fans” and promote sim racers in general.
“It was never my intention to let another driver drive for me to get a result and keep quiet about it later on just to make me look better,” Abt added on his apology video.
Read More: Audi Racing Driver Daniel Abt Suspended After Being Caught Cheating In ESports Race
Rast has been racing with Audi since 2009, having won two DTM driver’s titles in 2017 and 2019 respectively. The 33-year-old German driver also has some limited experience behind the wheel of a Formula E car as he raced in the Berlin E-Prix back in 2016.
“I’ve been following Formula E very closely for a long time and am now looking forward to this new challenge,” said Rene Rast. “…I’ll will try to be as well prepared as possible when I arrive in Berlin”.
The Formula E season will resume on August 5, hosting six races within roughly one week at the former airport in Berlin. The three double-header events will be held on different track variants without spectators, with Formula E developing a comprehensive safety concept to protect the health of all the teams and their employees in collaboration with the German authorities.
