Dan's NOT the man: Formula E star Daniel Abt discovered CHEATING during esports race as PROFESSIONAL GAMER takes his place (VIDEO)

Formula E racer Daniel Abt has issued an apology after it was discovered that he CHEATED during a recent esports race by having a professional gamer take his place during the event.

Abt was disqualified from the race, banned thrown out of the esports series and ordered to make a compulsory donation of $10,900 to charity after it was discovered that his place in the Formula E, "Race at Home Challenge" had been taken by professional gamer Lorenz Hoerzing, who competed as a "ringer".

The German driver, who was stripped of all of his Race at Home Challenge points, apologized for "having called in outside help," and accepted his punishment and donation fine.

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

"I am especially sorry about this because I know how much work has gone into this project on the part of the Formula E organization.

"I am aware that my offense has a bitter aftertaste but it was never meant with any bad intention."

Suspicions were raised during the race that Abt may have been cheating the system, with Belgian driver Stoffel Vandoorne and two-time Formula E champion Jean-Eric Vergne both casting doubt over the legitimacy of Abt's participation in the race.

"Please ask Daniel Abt to put his Zoom next time he’s driving because, like Stoffel said, I’m pretty sure he wasn’t in," said Vergne.

Indeed, Vandoorne was so convinced Abt wasn't piloting his car that he called his Formula E rival on his mobile during the race and the figure on Abt's Twitch stream – who was conveniently obscured throughout the race – did not move and Vandoorne's call went unanswered.

Digital racing website the-race.com stated that the driver's face was obscured by equipment, while the Twitch stream, which was was supposed to ensure all drivers could be featured on the broadcast, stopped.

Despite finishing third in the race, Abt no-showed for the online post-race interview session, raising further suspicion that he had not been the person in charge of his car during the race.

Despite the furor over Abt's deception, Formula E's on-track championship leader Antonio Felix da Costa was less concerned about Abt's transgression, tweeting: "It's just a game, guys. We all know Daniel is a fun guy and a joker."

The digital Race at Home Challenge series was created to keep fans engaged during the coronavirus lockdown, as the Formula E stars competed from the comfort of their own homes while observing isolation protocols in their native countries.