FIA investigating Russian kart racer who gave alleged ‘Nazi salute’ on podium

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The FIA has begun an investigation into the actions of Russian karter Artem Severiukhin who appeared to perform a Nazi salute during yesterday’s FIA Karting European Championship event in Portimao.

Severiukhin won the opening round of the FIA Karting European Championship OK category on Sunday. Russian competitors are restricted from taking part in FIA events and Severiukhin was racing under the Italian flag.

During the performance of the Italian national anthem on the podium, Severiukhin struck his chest twice with his right hand, then extended his arm in front of him.

Following the anthem performance, Severiukhin was handed his trophy by FIA karting president Akbar Ebrahim.

After footage of Severiukhin’s actions began to circulate on social media, the FIA issued a statement.

“The Federation Internationale de l’Automobile confirms that is has launched an immediate investigation into the [unacceptable] conduct of Mr Artem Severiukhin that occured during the podium ceremony for the OK category at round one of the 2022 FIA Karting European Championship at the Kartodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal,” it said.

“The FIA will communicate shortly on the further steps that will be taken in this case.”

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Severiukhin was accused of performing a ‘Nazi salute’
Severiukhin was handed his trophy by FIA karting president Akbar Ebrahim

Severiukhin’s team, Swedish outfit Ward Racing, said it condemned its driver’ actions “in the strongest possible terms” and said they will terminate his contract to race for them.

“The actions of Artem Severiukhin during the award ceremony on April 10th, 2022 were exclusively individual and do not represent the views and values of Ward Racing in any manner,” it said.

“On the contrary, Ward Racing stands with the international community condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and expresses its solidarity with the people suffering because of this unprovoked and horrific attack.

“Since the start of the ongoing war, our firm stance has been demonstrated with “No War” helmets and stickers. In addition, we currently have three Ukrainian families traveling with us because they have no home to return to. As Swedish citizens, we are furthermore proud of our country which made the historical decision to send weapons to Ukraine for the fight against the Russian army.”

“Ward Racing accordingly condemns the personal actions of pilot Artem Severyukhin during the award ceremony on April 10th, 2022 in the strongest possible terms, as it considers them a manifestation of unsportsmanlike behaviour, an unacceptable violation of the ethical and moral sports codex. With this statement, Ward Racing expresses its opinion, as well as the opinion of all athletes and staff of the Ward Racing team. On the basis of these considerations, Ward Racing sees no possibility for continued cooperation with Artem Severyukhin and will proceed with terminating his racing contract.

“Finally, Ward Racing would like to apologize to those who were hurt or distressed by the occurrence.
It has long been and will remain a priority for Ward Racing to work for a more diverse, inclusive and respectful racing climate.”

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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72 comments on “FIA investigating Russian kart racer who gave alleged ‘Nazi salute’ on podium”

  1. Looks like the situation has resolved itself with the driver being dropped. He’s 15 and maybe it was meant to be a juvenile joke about Italy, its anthem and Italian fascism? Since the Russians claim (falsely) to be fighting a huge army of Nazis in Ukraine, it makes little sense otherwise.

    1. Ah so he knows about the history of fascism in Italy but he’s too young to understand the fact that there is an ongoing war where his native country launched an attack on a peaceful neighbor? I’m all for giving people the benefit of the doubt, but your comment makes absolutely no sense @david-br

      1. Gavin Campbell
        11th April 2022, 15:19

        Well yes but the Russian propaganda machine insists that they are fighting Nazi’s in Ukraine, but if you are drinking that Kool-Aid giving a Nazi salute makes no sense either.

        I think the OP was possibly trying to give the kid a bit of a break and point out that its likely he was being an idiot rather than trying to make some political point.

      2. @xenn1 You realise that the Russian population has been subject to massive propaganda from the Kremlin and the majority of people in the country back the war? I think my comment makes good enough sense: the salute doesn’t make sense as a gesture in support of a country at war allegedly against Nazism. Of course it’s ignorant. Maybe the lad is a Nazi, maybe he’s just incredibly naive and misinformed. But he’s 15.
        I completely condemn the war and have done so here. Personally I think the real problem is Germany and other countries buying Russian gas (until 2024 is the latest prediction) that directly fund Russian expansionism and their regime of terror. Let’s not confuse either the real targets (Putin, his generals and their enablers) or the real solutions (not overreacting to an adolescent’s gesture).

        1. @david-br there are also military organisations being deployed to Ukraine that have links to neo-Nazi organisations – the Wagner group is known to have run a recruitment campaign to recruit members from the Russian Imperial Movement, a neo-Nazi organisation which has repeatedly called for, amongst other things, the annexation of territory belonging to Ukraine.

          The RIM is believed to operate at least two paramilitary training camps in Russia, with the Russian government accused of giving tacit approval to that group to operate those camps so long as they don’t engage in domestic terrorism (i.e. if they attack other nations, then they will look the other way).

          There are thus elements of the Russian military which would see such gestures as a show of support for them, and elements of the Russian government that, whilst officially disparaging such organisations, privately are allowing such organisations to operate and recruit in Russia.

          1. @anon It’s an interesting point but it’s not something Russia could exploit for propaganda for the reasons I said: the Kremlin narrative for domestic (and international) consumption is that the invasion of Ukraine is an anti-Nazi offensive.

    2. I don’t think we need to give nazi-salutes “the benefit of the doubt” in any scenario. Seems about as clear cut as you can get.

      1. @sjaakfoo My own view is that no Russian sportspeople should be allowed to compete internationally. That simple. Russian people should be allowed to express their views in the media, if anyone wants to listen. That’s kind of what Ukraine is fighting for, right? Freedom from suppression of dissent and free political expression? Obviously I agree about Nazi salutes. The UK royal family also likes to indulge in them as jokes.

        1. Ukraine is fighting for their lives. As for democracy and freedom of speech, they aren’t too democratic society themselves (I know, I’ve been there, I know Ukrainians, great people, terrible government). Only in comparison to Russian aggressors. As for what you suggest, that is banning people based on their nationality or maybe DNA structure (to prove who’s Russian or isn’t perhaps?), I’m strongly against that, it goes against my own democratic beliefs and reminds me of 30’s and 40’s (and 50’s in USA, with separate everything for black people).

          1. It’s not banning an ethnic group, it’s banning holders of a nationality. I think freedom of expression is a right, participating in an international competition between nations is a privilege. South Africa was banned from international competition – with the support of the ANC and other black organisations opposed to apartheid.

          2. @david-br you simply can’t do that, though. Russians who may not agree with the war can’t simply stop being Russian without mountains of red tape being cut and tons of admin work being performed rather quickly, and that does not even take into account those who may wish to no longer be associated with Russia but can’t leave to have that accomished.

            What you have been suggesting is nothing short of sanctioned racism and only a few steps short of your own holocaust.

          3. @neiana You’re confusing race with nationality. And bans are already in place for Russia (as they have been in the past, including in the Olympics for doping). Calling a ban on a group of people playing a sports game ‘almost a holocaust’ is bizarre and deeply offensive.

          4. I do not have personal knowledge of Ukraine’s democratic deficit. However considering they have been trying to detach themselves from the historical yoke of Eastern Block Totalitarian control. And that since the Orange Revolution have bravely sacrificed their own blood to on their march to democratic freedom. I can only stand back and admire their democratic achievements so far.

            Standing against Rumps Quid Pro Quo when needing American arms for the war in the east.

            All in all very good democratic credentials.

            Compare that with France who are even now flirting with electing a Supporter of the anti-democratic scumbag in the Kremlin. Or the Germans who are funding the war!

            The question should not be should should Europe/Nato accept Ukraine, but should Ukraine accept Europe/Nato.

            I agree with your stance with regards to demonizing with respect to Nationality. But I think Russians as a whole have shown themselves up as being very willing to support corrupt leaders who corrupt anything they are involved with. Given their own history one might have expected their own citizens to be more savvy about when they are being conned by Propaganda.

            From sport to their barbaric actions in Chechnya , Georgia, Syria and Ukraine, Russians seam all too willing to turn a blind eye.

            Not withstanding the brave Russians who have stood out in the freezing streets to protest the actions of the scum in the Kremlin and who now are imprisoned for acting with outstanding moral conviction.

            RIP Anna Politkovskaya.

      2. I am all for giving him the benefit of the doubt.
        which, to me, means not prosecuting him (it’s not legal, what he did).

        As far as the sporting goes, he can look for another career.

    3. That joke is not even remotely funny.

      1. @ferrox-glideh Obviously not. I imagine he’s already learnt that.

        1. Sorry @david-br, I did not mean to suggest that you thought it was a joke.

    4. It was a despicable joke, but it was a joke and this is a kid. I think him getting fired is perhaps more punishment that was warranted. He’s 15 and was fooling around. I’m glad an example was made out of the situation, but I do feel the punishment is excessive. At the same time, I don’t know that Ward had any options after that. The driver becomes toxic for any kind of sponsorship.

      It’s truly unfortunate, that kid likely destroyed his racing career during what should have been a glorious moment

    5. *Note: reposting cause the first was in the wrong place

      This kid needs to be cut some slack.

      Hate Putin and what Putin is doing, but just seems like a kid seeing a friend in the crowd and making a joke as it probably was a new experience to be on a tall podium, an orchestra playing, a crowd below, etc. and in the moment he probably thought I probably look like Hitler up here.

      Obviously a bad mistake a poorly thought out joke, especially with the current conflict going on, but he’s just a kid who was likely being silly. When I was in HS, my family had a dog whose front legs stayed perfectly straight when you lifted his “arm” up and because it made my friends laugh I used to stand him up and make it look like he was sig heiling Hitler (I’m Jewish BTW and so were all my friends). That time and other stupid things I remember kids saying at that age had no ill intent behind them and we we considering if “oh god, could this offend someone?”

      We cannot apply corporate level scrutiny on kids regardless of their origin. The other question is would everyone be so happy to throw the kid under the bus if he weren’t Russian or he was nephew just making a foolishly judged joke? Because believe me everyone teenager has done something wayyyyyy more offensive than this.

  2. When I was teaching, I had a student who liked to perform a salute such as this. He’d seen it on the internet and thought it looked fun so he started doing it at school.
    It wasn’t until it was explained to him what it meant and where it came from (and why it was unacceptable) that he stopped doing it.
    Kids do stuff like this without knowing the full ramifications or meaning behind it.

    Terminating this young racer’s contract is harsh, to say the least. I’d have given him a warning, a short lesson in history, and a second chance.
    And if he did it again…. then he’d be out. Faster than he can drive.

    1. Hey S, I agree with you here.

    2. In what country does a 15 year old not know what a roman salute is?

      1. How many 15 year-olds do you know?
        And how do you know what they get taught in other countries, if they are even engaged enough to take it in?

    3. Exactly. Thinking back to the massive gaps in my knowledge of history as a 15 year old, and I was actually interested in World War history. Pretty sure I simply didn’t have the capacity to comprehend the politics and meaning of symbols.

      Indeed my teen nieces and nephews these days are little different. 15 is still so young; history, symbolism and complex geopolitics are difficult to comprehend as adults, let alone as a teen.

      Basically we mostly learn bad/good symbols by trial and error.

    4. This kid needs to be cut some slack.

      Hate Putin and what Putin is doing, but just seems like a kid seeing a friend in the crowd and making a joke as it probably was a new experience to be on a tall podium, an orchestra playing, a crowd below, etc. and in the moment he probably thought I probably look like Hitler up here.

      Obviously a bad mistake a poorly thought out joke, especially with the current conflict going on, but he’s just a kid who was likely being silly. When I was in HS, my family had a dog whose front legs stayed perfectly straight when you lifted his “arm” up and because it made my friends laugh I used to stand him up and make it look like he was sig heiling Hitler (I’m Jewish BTW and so were all my friends). That time and other stupid things I remember kids saying at that age had no ill intent behind them and we we considering if “oh god, could this offend someone?”

      We cannot apply corporate level scrutiny on kids regardless of their origin. The other question is would everyone be so happy to throw the kid under the bus if he weren’t Russian or he was nephew just making a foolishly judged joke? Because believe me everyone teenager has done something wayyyyyy more offensive than this.

    5. Absolutely true, @S

  3. Clown world. That kid is 15 and probably doesnt even know what it means, plus it’s not even clear that it was a nazi salute. But hey, it seems like people like to behave exactly like those they condemn. What a joke.

    1. Have you seen the full video clip? Because he clearly knows what it means and thinks it’s hysterical.

    2. There really is little doubt what he was doing–and frankly, at 15, you cannot “not know”.

    3. It sure seems like he knew exactly what he was doing.

      During the performance of the Italian national anthem on the podium, Severiukhin struck his chest twice with his right hand, then extended his arm in front of him.

      And if you need video evidence, there is a YouTube video as well
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3t8t0AV4Bo

      Ignorance is not an excuse. I think losing his seat is appropriate. It doesn’t mean he can never race again, but he won’t be racing for this team. Actions have consequences and that is an important lesson for anyone, even a 15-year-old, to learn.

      1. @g-funk wow, thanks for the link. He really did think it was hilarious. Which is probably in his favour in the argument that he’s naive. Though if he thinks doing that is that funny, he must be easily entertained. Mrs Brown’s Boys would probably have him gasping for breath with the hilarity.

  4. We really need to see a video of the arm raising. Was it a nazi salute where a person stands at attention, clicks the heels and raises their straight arm above their heads with the palm flat? Or was it just an arm raise to acknowledge the crowd?
    Much like this one from Charles Leclerc at the 2021 British GP.

    https://h7.alamy.com/comp/2GHXG17/charles-leclerc-mon-ferrari-on-the-podium-18072021-formula-1-world-championship-rd-10-british-grand-prix-silverstone-england-race-day-photo-credit-should-read-xpbpress-association-images-2GHXG17.jpg

    Is there a video of the whole sequence of the Russian lad giving the salute? Not defending him but lets not make him out to be the scapegoat for the evil Putin.

    1. someone or something
      11th April 2022, 17:14

      By your weirdly restrictive standards, not even the ‘stache man himself could be accused of giving a nazi salute all too often …

      1. It’s no longer ‘guilty beyond reasonable doubt’, but ‘guilty if it fits the detailed description according to Gerrit, and no image can be dug up which doesn’t even need to remotely resemble the actual facts’.

    2. If you had actually read the article, you’d have already known that he did a double chest bump with his hand before doing the salute, so no, we don’t really need a video for verification.

    3. It was a straight up fascist salute. Here’s the video if you are really interested:
      https://www.reddit.com/r/PublicFreakout/comments/u13b62/the_racer_from_the_russian_federation_celebrated/

    4. Why on Earth bring Leclerc into this. That is clearly a wave. This 15 year old it’s clearly a Nazi salute. There’s no doubt and I’m not going to engage with anyone unable to accept that and try and hand wave away the most prominent hate sign in human history.

      Glad he’s gone. At this point I think Russian nationals should be excluded from everything until the Russian people stand up en masse and remove the fascist Putin from office (and make sure another fascist doesn’t just take his place but they enact a truly democratic system). Not fair? Don’t care.

      1. Do you feel the same way about western governments and their long history of intervention abroad? I don’t like putin or what he’s doing but I don’t understand why so many ignore the blatant hypocrisy. Should americans have been banned from international events until they overthrew dubya?

      2. There’s no doubt and I’m not going to engage with anyone unable to accept that and try and hand wave away the most prominent hate sign in human history.

        Yep. That’s exactly what I’d expect these days.
        You’ve made your judgement without knowing anything about this teenage driver other than one little snippet of his adrenaline-fuelled celebration.
        Well, good for you @davidhunter13. At least you are honest enough to tell everyone up front how silly you are. I’m sure you never did anything a little bit naive or irresponsible with your friends when you were younger, right?

        1. S, you are missing the point. The fascist salute was done on a podium in front of a crowd and cameras at an international event, not someone’s parents rec room. You are the silly one here.

          1. I think you’re missing the point @ferrox-glideh.
            This is a kid. Who probably didn’t know any better. And yet many adults (who should be more open-minded and accepting of people’s lack of life experience at that age) are treating him as though he understands the full history, meaning and gravity of what he did.
            Did you read my comment above? Kids do this stuff simply because they don’t know or consider how others feel about it.

            Seriously, get over yourselves and let him learn without ruining his life. I’m confident he’d have got the message without losing his place in the team and won’t ever do it again.
            Didn’t need to potentially cost him his future.
            Let’s just hope he isn’t mentally scarred to the point of doing something like self harm as a result of this backlash.
            Or maybe you just don’t care how he feels and how it impacts his life.

        2. When he learned how to do a fascist Nazis salute, I’m pretty sure he was also informed that performing this salute is heartbreaking. There is no place for him not knowing what does it mean. Just stop defending him. Yes he might have joked about the salute hearing the Italian anthem but he clearly knew what did it mean.

        3. @S I truly hope that this incident impacts his life, with full force. I hope he learns from his mistake. I hope he never gets the chance to repeat it in public again. I am sure that he is crying himself to sleep on top of a mattress of daddy’s money right now. That does not particularly concern me. Instead, I hope that other young people in the spotlight learn from his mistake, that there is no room for racism in international sport, or indeed, anywhere.

          1. Thank you for confirming yet again why humans are the worst thing to happen to this world, @ferrox-glideh.

  5. The article and photo is misleading. If you check the video online, the driver does on purpose a fascist/nazi salute and then laughs hysterically for doing it. So he definitely thinks he knows what he is doing. I agree that he is young and probably too stupid for himself but doing this on a podium when the world is looking should have/has consequences.

  6. It’s funny how there are always people ready to defend those who make public displays of hate signs – if he didn’t understand the implications of the gesture, well he does now. And, propaganda notwithstanding, there are plenty of hard right wing groups in Russia (and Eastern Europe in general, but Russia too)

  7. In this case you error on the side of just getting rid of him. Lots of other drivers out there to fill this spot that won’t act like a fool. Why are Russians even allowed to compete by the FIA?

  8. ‘alleged’ and ‘appeared’? Come on… it’s obvious. Call it like it is.

    1. Yeah, it’s a shame there wasn’t video or photographic evidence, so we could drop the “alleged” :)

    2. It is possible that legal action may follow (but at this point, it is far from certain). While the movement sequence is indisputable, the meaning of that sequence may be (for anyone who doubts that is possible, there’s at least two threads some way above this one where someone seriously argues against that interpretation – and they don’t agree with each other about what the correct interpretation is!). I assume RaceFans is simply being careful to avoid getting into unwarranted trouble, and prefers to let the visual evidence carry most of the weight.

      1. Yeah, you can try to twist yourself into knots to avoid the obvious… but it is still obvious and it should be called out as such.

  9. Wow, what an incredibly stupid thing to do. I bet he wishes he had ctrl+Z available!

  10. He was dropped. It was the right thing to do. Can you imagine being the owner team, having to answer to shareholders and explaining to them why wouldn’t you do it. FIA should give him a penalty and then allow other teams to consider the circumstances and hire this guy. I wouldn’t do it but others might.

  11. Hear hear, those woke cancel culture Karens have been making everyone’s life miserable since they banned Nazi insignia in post-war Germany, am I right or what?

  12. Interesting, though unsurprising, to see how many people have forgotten that they were young once.

    Just to remind these apparently eternally mature and knowledgeable people: “You don’t know what you don’t know.”

  13. The irony is that I hear there are lots of neo Nazis in the Ukraine so how does his action benefit the whole reason for the military operation.

    1. There are actually fewer neo-nazi organizations in Ukraine than in most European countries.

  14. So on first thought I found this funny, in the sense, as a russian one is already in trouble as things are atm, and he asks for more trouble by making a nazi salute!

    On 2nd thought and about hearing the consequences, I think it’s really excessive, he’s just a child, 15 years old and it might’ve been an accident, and furthermore I don’t see what people who fired him etc. thought was gonna happen if a 15 years old did a nazi salute, would this attract a 45 years old or so to make a nazism 2.0? Seems insane thinking.

    1. Ah yes, that youthful innocence when you’re just accidentally giving nazi’s salutes. Just a bit of accidental fascism, no biggy.

  15. Haven’t logged on in 2 months. Wasn’t going to comment ever again on here but here we are. Seeing you @peartree equate this with “cancel culture” is an absolute disgrace.

  16. Why not perform Special Russian De-orbiting Operation already? World could be better without orks :)

  17. Amazing how little people in this thread know about the war )-8 Looks like US propaganda is quite effective

    1. Enlighten us, floodo1.

    2. Perhaps it is the Russian propaganda that is ineffective?

  18. I really hope that you are being factious when you say that @peartree.

  19. Like @S and others in the comments have suggested, we are living in an age of politically charged sporting decisions. A Nazi salute from a 15-year old kid should be taken as a matter to be given strong warning against, as in the demand for an apology and an ultimatum that any such further gestures would result in a ban. Without any such warning, just banning a teenager for an gesture which, we honestly don’t know, was done intentionally or just as a means of celebration without knowing or realizing what it means. Too harsh from Ward Racing too that they are snuffing out such a talented driver. There’s just one reason for this harsh punishment – he’s Russian. I really don’t understand why Ward Racing had to issue such an elaborate statement! This is prejudice taken to new and all-pervading levels.

  20. Severiukhin knew exactly what he was doing. 15 year olds may be impulsive but they are not stupid. The Hitler Youth attracted many kids his age, who also knew what they were doing.

  21. RocketTankski
    13th April 2022, 19:57

    Perhaps it was a sarcastic tribute to Max Mosley?

  22. I hope he doesn’t come here to read some of the comments.

  23. He probably knew what he was doing but didn’t fully understand the context. Or maybe he did and he as a 15 year old wanted to do a fun little thing if he won. He was probably joking with his friends that he would do it or maybe it was all him.
    Throwing a kart part towards a competitor as he is doing full beans is pure stupidity even if you’re fuming with rage. This is a different case. He didn’t hurt anyone but it doesn’t mean he should have done it.

    Send him back to the school for a while and after he has learned about history and not to celebrate as it would be the 1940’s

    1. …And after that maybe reconsider signing him again

  24. playstation361
    15th April 2022, 14:50

    It was very funny.

Comments are closed.