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Professional racing car driver Daniel Abt has been suspended by car maker Audi after it was discovered he cheated in a virtual race.

The Formula E driver had hired a professional gamer to play for him in a race against other racing car drivers in an online Race At 91�ȱ� challenge for charity.

Some of the drivers taking part in the virtual competition were suspicious when they could not see Daniel playing the game over video chat.

Other competitors were suspicious when Daniel finished third in the online race on Saturday, as in previous races he had not done as well as this.

They told the organisers of the tournament who decided to investigate Daniel. It was then that they discovered he had hired eSports gamer Lorenz Horzing to play for him.

Formula E - a more environmentally-friendly version of race car driving which sees cars using safer fuels and power sources - had put on the virtual races for charity during lockdown.

The races have been taking place at the weekend and they see professional racing car drivers competing on virtual versions of real racetracks.

Daniel's actions upset many of the competitors. He has now been banned from the tournament and he has been suspended by his race team Audi.

On Sunday, Daniel apologised for his actions. He has been forced to make a donation to charity of 10,000 Euros (around £8,900).

"I did not take it as seriously as I should have," he said.

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