Canadian research revealed which Formula 1 drivers used the most swear words over the radio communication, and the results were surprising.
Canadian Sports Betting used data from 2018 to 2026 to determine how many times each F1 driver uttered swear words over the radio. CSB analysed the radio communication data from ‘Formula Dream F1 Team Radio Archive’ to figure out how many swear words were uttered by each driver. Although the analysed data spanned 2018 to 2026, no data was available from 2022.
CSB recognised masked and bleeped-out words and used a list of 40 terms from eight languages. To decide the appropriate category for each word, they placed it in ‘mild’, ‘insult’, or ‘strong’.
While many might expect Max Verstappen to top the list because of his outspokenness, the four-time World Champion did not quite take the crown this time. Among the drivers with over 1000 radio messages pulled and analysed, Verstappen averaged 3.17 swear words per 1000 words.
Moreover, the Dutchman is undoubtedly near the top. He comes in as runner-up to the surprising first-place sitter, Pierre Gasly. Across 1902 messages, Gasly swore 163 times, which puts him at a rate of 3.66. The data also shows that vulgar language was found in 5.84 per cent of his radio messages.
The lowest and highest recorded swear words
Coming in at third place with 2.35 swear words per 1000 words is Charles Leclerc. Leclerc had 89 swear words across 2109 radio messages. Following the Ferrari driver was Sergio Perez with a rate of 1.98, and behind him is Daniel Ricciardo with 1.89. Eight place is taken by Lance Stroll with 1.26 swear words per 1000 words, followed by Nico Hulkenberg with 1.20 and Valtteri Bottas with only 1.04.
Fernando Alonso had a rate of 1.02, and Alex Albon had 0.96. The data showed that Carlos Sainz swore 44 times across 2305 messages, for a low rate of 0.92. Sebastian Vettel came in 14th on the list, ahead of Lewis Hamilton who had a rate of 0.72, with a rate of 0.76.
While Hamilton’s rating was low, the seven-time World Champion had a higher percentage, with vulgar language appearing in 1.28 per cent of the overall 3276 messages.
The driver with the fewest recorded swear words is Estaban Ocon, with a rate of 0.63 swear words per 1000 words. This means the grid ranged from 0.63 to 3.66 swear words per 1000 words.
Overall, Verstappen led the statistics, but Gasly took the crown for frequency of swear words. With 222 swear words in 3361 messages, the Dutchman averaged a rate of 3.17. Gasly averaged slightly higher, at 3.66 swear words per 1000 words, putting him on top.
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