A 15-year-old Russian karting champion appeared to perform a Nazi salute on the podium before bursting into laughter

• Russian kart racer Artem Severiukhin appeared to perform a Nazi salute at the European Championships.
• The 15-year-old then began laughing as he stood on the top step of the podium in Portugal.

A Russian junior karting champion is being investigated by motorsport's governing body after he appeared to perform a Nazi salute on the podium before beginning to laugh.

Artem Severiukhin, 15, seemed to make the gesture after winning the first round of the European Championship in Portugal on Sunday in the OK category, karting's second highest level of competition.

The teenager was competing under the Italian flag due to sanctions put on Russian athletes following the country's invasion of Ukraine. FIA rules mean that Russian athletes must compete either a neutral flag or the flag of another nation to which they are affiliated.

You can see footage of the incident below:

—F1 Feeder Series (@F1FeederSeries1) April 11, 2022

The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) said in a statement Monday that it was now investigating the incident.

"The FIA confirms it has launched an immediate investigation into the unacceptable conduct of Mr Artem Severiukhin that occurred during the podium ceremony for the OK category at Round 1 of the 2022 FIA Karting European Championship at Kartodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal," read the statement.

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

Severiukhin was also let go by his team, Ward Racing, which condemned the teenager's behavior 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 posted to Facebook.

"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."

Ward posted a picture of Severiukhin on Facebook celebrating after his win, and as of Monday it remains on the page.

The OK karting category, in which Severiukhin was competing, is a key feeder for higher levels of karting and elite motorsport.

Several current Formula One drivers — including 2022 championship leader Charles Leclerc, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, 2021 world champion Max Verstappen, McLaren's Lando Norris, and Mercedes' George Russell — won European and World championships in karting in their younger years.