Audi Sport has sacked German racing driver Daniel Abt for cheating in a charity video game race in which he passed the controls to a professional esports gamer while pretending he himself was at the controls.
Abt released a video late on Tuesday apologising, once again, but added it was not his intention to cheat just to show that video racing was not like the real thing.
"This virtual sin of mine has consequences in the real world," he said. "Today I had a conversation with Audi that our ways will split from now on."
In the race on Saturday, Abt, second bottom of the virtual series, passed control of his car to Pro esports gamer Lorenz Hoerzing, 18, who was in Austria, in the 'sim' for the race around Berlin-Tempelhof.
At one point, Abt's car led by a wide margin, arousing the suspicions of the organisers and rivals.
The 27-year-old was disqualified and ordered to make a "compulsory donation" of 10,000 euros (Dh40,000) to charity.
Abt won a real world race on the same circuit in 2018 and has been successfully racing Formula-E since its creation in 2014.
"It's a game, a simulation which does not have anything in common with real racing. It's definitely very far away from what makes a real Formula E car," Abt said, showing a video of a virtual a multi-car pileup and saying "everyone drove as they liked."
"There were drivers taking it seriously who put a lot of time on the simulators," said Abt, adding he wanted a young sim racer "to show the other, real, drivers what he is capable of."
Earlier on Tuesday, Audi released a statement saying they had suspended Abt and making clear they did not see the funny side.
"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."
Abt insisted he had not tried to cover up the ruse and was shocked by the reaction.
"It has never been my intention to lie to you," he said. "After the race it suddenly went in a direction which I had not ever been able to imagine in a dream."
"I was portrayed as a cheater. I apologise to my family, my friends, my sponsors, Audi, Unicef and to the fans with all my heart," he said.
"I made a huge mistake. I hope you can forgive me."
"I feel like I couldn't fall any further. I'm on the floor but I'll get up again. I hope you accept my apology."
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A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
The biog
First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work
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Starring: Abdulla Zaid, Joma Ali, Neven Madi and Khadija Sleiman
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UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
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Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
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Favourite book: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It’s an amazing story about barefoot running.
Favourite film: A League of their Own. I used to love watching it in my granny’s house when I was seven.
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Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
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Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
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