Artem Severiukhin pounded his chest and raised his right arm in the gesture before laughing as he celebrated his victory in round one of the FIA Karting European Championship at Portimao, Portugal.
A Russian karting driver has been sacked by his team after making what appeared to be a Nazi salute on the podium.
Artem Severiukhin, 15, pounded his chest and raised his right arm in the gesture before laughing as he celebrated his victory in round one of the FIA Karting European Championship at Portimao in Portugal on Sunday.
Ward Racing, his Swedish team, have already said they plan to terminate his contract in light of the incident.
The team said it was “deeply in shame of the pilot’s behaviour which it condemns in the strongest possible terms”.
“The actions of Artem Severiukhin during the award ceremony on April 10, 2022 were exclusively individual and do not represent the views and values of Ward Racing in any manner,” it said in a statement.
“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.”
It added: “On the basis of these considerations, Ward Racing sees no possibility for continued cooperation with Artem Severiukhin and will proceed with terminating his racing contract.”
source sky news