The penalty was not long in coming. A few days after performing a Nazi salute following his victory in a race in Portugal, the young Russian driver Artem Severiukhin, 15, had his license withdrawn. Due to the war between Russia and Ukraine and the sanctions imposed on Russian athletes, the karting driver had been granted an Italian license to participate in international races.
This Tuesday, the Italian federation decided to revoke this license, even before the end of the investigation by the International Automobile Federation (FIA).
On the top step of the podium of a race counting for the European championship, which took place in Portimao, Portugal, the young man struck his heart twice and then stretched out his right hand in the form of a Nazi salute. He then burst out laughing.
His team, Ward Racing, had already taken swift action by terminating his contract. “Ward Racing sees no possibility of continuing cooperation with Artem Severiukhin and will proceed with the termination of his racing contract,” the team said in a statement. The apologies of the Russian pilot, published in a video posted on Instagram, combined with an attempt to deny any Nazi salute, will therefore not have been enough to make up for his gesture.