Marko has no sympathy for sacked Daniel Abt

Dr Helmut Marko has little sympathy for sacked Formula E driver Daniel Abt.

Audi’s works team, which was originally owned by Abt’s family, sacked the 27-year-old German recently after it emerged that he had secretly allowed a professional gamer to drive in his place during an official Formula E esports race.

Marko, the head of Red Bull’s driver program which once backed Abt, told Osterreich newspaper that Max Verstappen "had fun" with esports during the corona shutdown period.

But the newspaper told Marko that "Daniel Abt’s cheating" proved that esports is not just about fun.

"Abt is a bad example," Marko responded. "He was fast neither in esports or in the real cockpit."

The Austrian also repeated his refrain that he has no room at Red Bull Racing to accommodate departing Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel in 2021.

"I talk to Vettel regularly. We keep exchanging ideas," Marko said. "But we have contracts with Verstappen and with Albon."