Analyzing Illocutionary Acts in Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari Team Conversation on Radio in Formula One Race in Miami GP 2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31004/riggs.v4i4.4134Keywords:
Illocutionary Acts, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Formula One, Speech Act, UtterancesAbstract
This research aims to identify the illocutionary acts found in the conversation between Lewis Hamilton and the Ferrari team during the Formula One Miami Grand Prix 2025. The conversation contains several sarcastic and frustration-driven exchanges, making it relevant to analyze the types and functions of illocutionary acts produced by a top athlete and a leading race-car team in a high-pressure competitive context. The study adopts a qualitative research design using content analysis as the primary methodology. The data were collected from radio communication recorded during the live race broadcast and were analyzed through several systematic steps. Searle’s (1976) classification of illocutionary acts serves as the main theoretical framework for identifying and categorizing the utterances. The findings indicate that four types of illocutionary acts emerge throughout the conversation: assertives, directives, commissives, and expressives. Specifically, the data reveal the presence of four assertive utterances, three directive utterances, two commissive utterances, and two expressive utterances. Assertive acts function to state or complain, while directive acts are used to ask or instruct. Commissive acts reflect commitments or vows, and expressive acts function to criticize or express emotional reactions. The most dominant category is assertive, suggesting that Lewis Hamilton frequently conveyed strong emotional responses such as irritation, disappointment, and restrained anger, often expressed with a sarcastic tone. These findings illustrate how emotional intensity and competitive pressure shape communication patterns between drivers and team engineers in professional motor racing.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Sarah Safika Sitorus, Nabila Zuki, Ibnati Faiza Hamdi, Anggun Dhanisa

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