Non-verbal communication in the media text of professional sports: semiotic analysis (based on gestures of Formula 1)

The research aims to identify and describe the structure and functions of the complex semiotic code of gestures within the communicative space of Formula 1. The article examines the semiotic specificity of gestures, their classification according to Charles S. Peirce’s triad (icons, indexes, symbols) and A. Ya. Brodetsky’s spatial axes (vertical, horizontal, sagittal). The subject of study encompasses the processes of encoding (by drivers, engineers, directors) and decoding (by teams, officials, spectators) of gestural messages in motorsports. The novelty of the research lies in the first attempt to integrate classical semiotic theories with the contemporary gestural repertoire of Formula 1, whose representational significance has been amplified by radio communication, telemetry, virtual race control, and in-helmet cameras. As a result, the structure of the gestural code – combining universal (e.g., pointing, basic emotions) and socially conditioned (e.g., hierarchy, identity) elements – has been systematized; the role of gestures as a tool for self-presentation and personal branding for drivers has been defined. The spatial orientation of gestures correlates with their functions: vertical gestures dominate in disciplinary decisions, horizontal gestures coordinate spatial interaction, and sagittal gestures manage action dynamics.