TOP 16 F1 DRIVERS WHO SWEAR THE MOST ON TEAM RADIO — RANKED
Formula 1 team radio has become one of the most entertaining parts of modern Grand Prix weekends. From furious complaints about strategy to emotional celebrations after a victory, fans regularly get a raw glimpse into what drivers are thinking at more than 300 km/h.
Now, a new study has attempted to put numbers behind one of F1’s most recognizable features: swearing on the team radio.
Research by Canada Sports Betting examined transcribed team-radio messages from the previous eight seasons and ranked drivers according to their number of swear words per 1,000 words. The analysis used the Formula Dream F1 Team Radio Archive, a fan-curated and unofficial database covering 2018–2026, although the archive is missing 2022 and has incomplete coverage for 2025 and 2026.
Among drivers with at least 1,000 recorded radio messages, Pierre Gasly came out on top, while Max Verstappen recorded the highest total number of swear words.
Here is the full top 16.
16. ESTEBAN OCON
Swears per 1,000 words: 0.63
Radio messages: 1,513
Recorded swears: 23
Esteban Ocon sits at the bottom of the 16-driver ranking, with just 0.63 swear words per 1,000 words.
The Frenchman recorded 23 swears across more than 36,000 words of team-radio communication.
That puts Ocon among the cleanest talkers in the qualifying dataset, despite the enormous pressure involved in Formula 1.
15. LEWIS HAMILTON
Swears per 1,000 words: 0.72
Radio messages: 3,276
Recorded swears: 44
Lewis Hamilton’s position may surprise some F1 fans.
The seven-time world champion has one of the largest radio samples in the research, with 3,276 recorded messages and more than 60,000 words.
Yet only 44 swear words were identified, giving him a rate of 0.72 per 1,000 words.
In other words, Hamilton’s radio archive suggests that despite plenty of emotional moments across his career, he generally keeps his language under control.
14. SEBASTIAN VETTEL
Swears per 1,000 words: 0.76
Radio messages: 1,061
Recorded swears: 17
Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel ranks 14th.
The German recorded 17 swear words from more than 22,000 words of radio communication.
Vettel’s reputation for occasionally producing memorable emotional radio messages therefore does not translate into a particularly high overall rate in this study.
13. CARLOS SAINZ
Swears per 1,000 words: 0.92
Radio messages: 2,305
Recorded swears: 44
Carlos Sainz is next with 44 recorded swear words from 2,305 radio messages.
His rate of 0.92 per 1,000 words keeps him below the one-per-1,000 mark.
That is particularly notable because Sainz has spent much of his career competing at the sharp end of a highly competitive midfield and front-running environment, where strategic frustrations can quickly spill over onto the radio.
12. ALEXANDER ALBON
Swears per 1,000 words: 0.96
Radio messages: 1,262
Recorded swears: 29
Alexander Albon narrowly misses out on the top 10.
The Williams driver recorded 29 swear words across 30,351 words, giving him a rate of 0.96.
His result places him firmly in the lower half of the ranking.
11. FERNANDO ALONSO
Swears per 1,000 words: 1.02
Radio messages: 1,133
Recorded swears: 26
Fernando Alonso is one of the biggest surprises outside the top 10.
The two-time world champion is famous for his brutally honest radio communications and has delivered countless memorable messages throughout his career.
Yet the data puts Alonso at only 1.02 swear words per 1,000 words.
That suggests his reputation for entertaining team-radio commentary comes from more than simply profanity.
10. VALTTERI BOTTAS
Swears per 1,000 words: 1.04
Radio messages: 1,487
Recorded swears: 25
Valtteri Bottas begins the top 10.
The Finnish driver recorded 25 swear words from 1,487 team-radio messages, producing a rate of 1.04 per 1,000 words.
Considering Bottas’ generally calm public personality, the result fits the image of a driver who tends to remain relatively composed even when things go wrong.
9. NICO HULKENBERG
Swears per 1,000 words: 1.20
Radio messages: 1,202
Recorded swears: 31
Nico Hulkenberg takes ninth place.
The German recorded 31 swear words across more than 25,000 words.
His 1.20 rate is higher than Bottas but still significantly below the drivers at the top of the ranking.
8. LANCE STROLL
Swears per 1,000 words: 1.26
Radio messages: 1,221
Recorded swears: 32
Lance Stroll ranks eighth with 32 recorded swear words.
His rate of 1.26 per 1,000 words is relatively modest compared with the leading drivers.
The number is particularly interesting given that Stroll has occasionally been involved in highly emotional radio moments, demonstrating once again that a few memorable incidents do not necessarily determine a driver’s long-term statistical profile.
7. LANDO NORRIS
Swears per 1,000 words: 1.34
Radio messages: 2,289
Recorded swears: 70
Lando Norris breaks into the top seven.
The McLaren driver recorded 70 swear words from 2,289 messages, producing a rate of 1.34.
Norris has developed a reputation for highly expressive team-radio communication, especially during tense races.
But statistically, he remains well behind the most frequent swearers.
6. GEORGE RUSSELL
Swears per 1,000 words: 1.50
Radio messages: 2,092
Recorded swears: 59
George Russell sits sixth with a rate of 1.50 swear words per 1,000 words.
The Mercedes driver recorded 59 swear words from more than 39,000 words of radio communication.
Russell’s position also illustrates an important distinction in the study: being emotional on the radio does not automatically mean being one of the sport’s biggest swearers.
5. DANIEL RICCIARDO
Swears per 1,000 words: 1.89
Radio messages: 1,571
Recorded swears: 73
Daniel Ricciardo is fifth.
The Australian is widely known for his cheerful personality and trademark smile, but the radio data reveals another side.
Ricciardo recorded 73 swear words across 1,571 messages, giving him a rate of 1.89 per 1,000 words.
That is considerably higher than several drivers who have reputations for being more outspoken.
4. SERGIO PEREZ
Swears per 1,000 words: 1.98
Radio messages: 1,690
Recorded swears: 62
Sergio Perez narrowly misses the podium.
The Mexican driver recorded 62 swear words across more than 31,000 words, producing a rate of 1.98 per 1,000.
Perez’s ranking puts him firmly among the more frequent swearers in the dataset.
3. CHARLES LECLERC
Swears per 1,000 words: 2.35
Radio messages: 2,109
Recorded swears: 89
Charles Leclerc takes third place.
The Ferrari driver recorded 89 swear words across 37,816 words of radio communication.
His rate of 2.35 per 1,000 words is significantly higher than Perez’s.
Leclerc has produced some of the most memorable emotional radio moments in modern F1, making his position near the top unsurprising.
One famous example came after his 2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix crash, when he repeatedly blamed himself over the radio.
2. MAX VERSTAPPEN
Swears per 1,000 words: 3.17
Radio messages: 3,361
Recorded swears: 222
If fans were asked to guess who would top this list, Max Verstappen would probably be one of the first names mentioned.
The four-time world champion actually finishes second by rate — but he dominates the raw total.
Verstappen recorded a remarkable 222 swear words across 3,361 radio messages, by far the highest total among the drivers in the qualifying dataset.
His rate was 3.17 swear words per 1,000 words.
That distinction matters.
Verstappen talks on the radio considerably more than many of his rivals, so his enormous total is partly explained by the sheer volume of communication.
His famously direct radio style has produced countless viral moments, particularly when he disagrees with strategy or feels his Red Bull is not performing as expected.
1. PIERRE GASLY
Swears per 1,000 words: 3.66
Radio messages: 1,902
Recorded swears: 163
The unofficial crown for F1’s most frequent swearer by rate belongs to Pierre Gasly.
The Frenchman recorded 163 swear words across 1,902 messages, giving him an impressive 3.66 swear words per 1,000 words.
That is higher than Verstappen’s 3.17.
Gasly has also produced plenty of emotional radio moments, particularly after major performances.
After securing his first F1 pole position at the 2026 Italian Grand Prix, for example, Gasly celebrated passionately over the radio, including an expletive-filled reaction to his achievement.
For Gasly, the numbers suggest that the emotion is not limited to isolated moments.
THE BIGGEST SURPRISE: VERSTAPPEN DOESN’T ACTUALLY TOP THE RATE
The most interesting part of the study may be the difference between total swears and swearing rate.
Verstappen has 222 recorded swear words — comfortably the most of any driver in the study.
But Gasly has a higher rate because his radio communication contains more swear words relative to the total amount he speaks.
That distinction makes the methodology important.
If the ranking simply counted swear words, Verstappen would be number one.
But by calculating swears per 1,000 words, the study attempts to account for the fact that some drivers communicate much more frequently than others.
THE MOST COMMON SWEAR WORD IN F1 RADIO
The study also examined which words appear most frequently.
The clear leader was the “f*” word family**, with 894 recorded instances across the dataset.
That included both uncensored and masked or bleeped examples.
“Hell” was the next most common at 125 occurrences, followed by “idiot” with 71, “stupid” with 54 and “damn” with 40.
Overall, the research recorded more than 1,500 vulgar-word instances in the driver-attributed data.
WHY DO F1 DRIVERS SWEAR SO MUCH?
There is an obvious reason.
Formula 1 drivers operate under extraordinary levels of pressure.
They are travelling at extreme speeds, managing tyres and energy systems, fighting other cars within centimetres and simultaneously receiving instructions from engineers.
A tiny mistake can cost several positions.
A poor strategy call can destroy an entire race.
And when something goes wrong, the radio is often the only immediate outlet available.
That makes team radio less like a carefully prepared interview and more like a live window into a driver’s emotions.
THE RANKING DOESN’T MEAN SOME DRIVERS ARE ‘ANGRIER’
One important warning should accompany the list.
Swearing frequency does not necessarily measure anger, personality or professionalism.
A driver might swear because of excitement, frustration, surprise or celebration.
Likewise, a driver who rarely swears could still be extremely frustrated without using profanity.
The study itself is based on an unofficial fan-curated archive, and its 2025 and 2026 coverage is incomplete. That means the numbers should be viewed as an interesting statistical snapshot rather than a definitive measurement of every F1 driver’s language.
THE FINAL F1 SWEARING RANKING
RANK| DRIVER| SWEARS / 1,000 WORDS| TOTAL SWEARS
1| Pierre Gasly| 3.66| 163
2| Max Verstappen| 3.17| 222
3| Charles Leclerc| 2.35| 89
4| Sergio Perez| 1.98| 62
5| Daniel Ricciardo| 1.89| 73
6| George Russell| 1.50| 59
7| Lando Norris| 1.34| 70
8| Lance Stroll| 1.26| 32
9| Nico Hulkenberg| 1.20| 31
10| Valtteri Bottas| 1.04| 25
11| Fernando Alonso| 1.02| 26
12| Alexander Albon| 0.96| 29
13| Carlos Sainz| 0.92| 44
14| Sebastian Vettel| 0.76| 17
15| Lewis Hamilton| 0.72| 44
16| Esteban Ocon| 0.63| 23
WHAT THE NUMBERS REALLY TELL US
The biggest takeaway is not simply that Pierre Gasly tops the ranking.
It is that F1 team radio has become a fascinating statistical window into the psychological intensity of Grand Prix racing.
Gasly has the highest rate.
Verstappen has the highest total.
Leclerc sits comfortably inside the top three.
And Hamilton, despite having one of the largest radio samples, is near the bottom of the list.
Ultimately, the ranking is less about which driver is the “angriest” and more about how differently Formula 1’s stars communicate when the pressure reaches its highest point.
After all, when a driver is fighting for a podium at 300 km/h, a perfectly polite conversation with the pit wall is probably not always the easiest thing to expect.
