15-year-old Artem Severiukhin patted his chest and raised his right hand in this gesture before laughing as he celebrated his victory in the first round of the FIA European Karting Championships in Portimao, Portugal on Sunday. Ward Racing, his Swedish team, has already said that they plan to terminate his contract in the light of the event. The team said it was “deeply ashamed” of the pilot’s behavior, which it strongly condemned. “Artem Severiukhin’s actions during the award ceremony on April 10, 2022 were solely individual and do not represent the views and values of Ward Racing in any way,” she said in a statement. “On the contrary, Ward Racing stands by the international community, condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and expressing its solidarity with the people who are suffering because of this unprovoked and horrific attack.” He added: “Based on these considerations, Ward Racing sees no possibility of continuing to work with Artem Severiukhin and will proceed with the termination of his racing contract.” However, Severiukhin denied giving the Nazi salute and instead said he was celebrating with friends and family standing across from the podium. Posting a video on Instagram, he said: “I want to apologize to everyone for what happened yesterday at the European Karting Championship. “Standing on the podium I made a gesture that many perceived as a Nazi salute. This is not true. I have never supported Nazism and I consider it one of the worst crimes against humanity.” He added that he knew he was “stupid”, adding: “I am ready to be punished. But please believe that there was no intention in my actions to support Nazism, there was no desire to offend the spectators.” The motorsport governing body, the FIA, said it was investigating “unacceptable behavior” and “further action will be taken”. Severyukhin was playing in the championship with an Italian license due to the FIA ban on Russian athletes after the invasion of Ukraine. The Italian anthem was heard as he made the gesture. The Russian Automobile Federation, a member of the FIA, said it was clarifying the circumstances of the incident, but said it considered unacceptable even a “random manifestation of fascism and Nazism”. Severiyin had just won his first race of the season in the OK category, which is for drivers aged 11 to 15. The FIA European Karting Championship is a credible series, with current Formula One stars Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris winning titles during their youth careers.
