Artyom Severyukhin’s motorsport career may be over before it even really gets started. The 16-year-old Russian was released from his kart racing team after his Nazi salute scandal.
The 16-year-old kart driver Artyom Severyukhin from Russia was fired by his team after he gave a Nazi salute on the podium. He hit his chest twice before stretching out his right arm during the awards ceremony after the first round of the European Championships in Portimao, Portugal on Sunday. He then burst out laughing.
The international motorsport federation FIA then launched an investigation against the racing driver on Monday, who competed under the Italian flag because of the FIA restrictions against Russian participants because of the Ukraine war. Severyukhin’s team, in turn, said they fired him.
16-year-old denies being a Nazi sympathiser
“Ward Racing is deeply ashamed of the pilot’s action,” the Swedish team wrote on Instagram. It made clear its opposition to the Russian invasion of Ukraine by putting “No War” stickers on drivers’ helmets. In addition, three Ukrainian refugee families are traveling with the team. The team sees “no possibility of further cooperation” with the youngster and will “cancel” his racing contract.
In a video published on Instagram, the teenager apologized. He denied that it was a Nazi gesture. “I never supported Nazism and I consider it one of the worst crimes against humanity,” he said. “I know I’m a fool and I’m willing to be punished, but please believe my actions were not intentional.”
According to media reports, the Russian Motorsport Association is also investigating the incident. “We announce that we consider any, even accidental, manifestation of fascism and Nazism in Russian motorsport and among Russian athletes to be unacceptable,” the Russian federation said.