Driver of the Day is a fan-voted feature which can add an exciting element to an F1 race. Although there is no prize - other than bragging rights - it can still be a great achievement for a driver to claim at the end of the race.
The award was first introduced in 2016 at the opening race of the season - the Australian Grand Prix - with the award being handed to Romain Grosjean at Haas. The French driver made up 13 places after starting 19th and finishing in sixth, scoring Haas their first points on their debut race.
Who has won Driver of the Day the most?
1. Max Verstappen - 41 wins
Max Verstappen has been named the Driver of the Day the most since the vote was introduced in 2016. He took his first one at the 2016 Spanish GP after winning his debut race for Red Bull.
In taking that first race win at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya he became not only the first Dutchman to claim the top spot on the podium, but also the youngest driver to both win a race and stand on an F1 podium at 18 years and 288 days old. Verstappen broke the records that had previously been set by Sebastian Vettel at the 2008 Italian GP when the German was 21 years and 74 days old.
His most recent Driver of the Day award came at the 2024 Brazilian GP, when he navigated extremely tricky wet conditions to produce an impressive 17th-to-first result, earning him his 41st edition of the prize.
|
Year
|
Number of Driver of the Day awards won
|
Grand Prix
|
|
2016
|
8
|
Spanish, Canadian, Austrian, British, Malaysian, Japanese, United States & Brazilian
|
|
2017
|
3
|
Chinese, Japanese & United States
|
|
2018
|
6
|
Austrian, Singapore, Russian
United States, Mexican & Brazilian
|
|
2019
|
7
|
Spanish, Monaco, Austrian, German, Hungarian, Mexican & Brazilian
|
|
2020
|
4
|
Hungarian, 70th Anniversary (UK), Russian & Abu Dhabi
|
|
2021
|
4 |
French, Belgium, United States & Saudi Arabian
|
|
2022
|
5
|
Emilia Romagna, Miami, Hungarian, Belgian & the Netherlands
|
|
2023
|
3
|
Saudi Arabian, Miami & Belgian
|
|
2024
|
1 | Brazilian |
2. Sebastian Vettel - 23 wins
Vettel has the second-most Driver of the Day awards with 23 wins between 2016 and 2022.
Despite winning the race on track, the penalty dropped Vettel behind Hamilton, handing him second place. Incensed by the penalty, he then performed one of his more memorable moments when he picked up the first-place sign from in front of Hamilton’s car and placed it in the empty spot where he had refused to park his Ferrari.
Vettel’s last Driver of the Day came at the 2022 Abu Dhabi GP - the four-time world champion’s final race in F1 – as fans chose to show him their support.
|
Year |
Number of Driver of the Day awards won |
Grands Prix |
|
2016 |
3 |
Singapore, Mexico, Abu Dhabi |
|
2017 |
7 |
Australia, Bahrain, Spain, Monaco, Canada, Malaysia, Mexico |
|
2018 |
3 |
Canada, France, Belgium |
|
2019 |
3 |
Canada, Singapore, Russia |
|
2020 |
2 |
Spain, Turkey |
|
2021 |
2 |
Monaco, Azerbaijan |
|
2022 |
3 |
Japan, USA, Abu Dhabi |
While he finds himself out of an F1 race seat for 2025, instead serving as his old team Mercedes’ reserve driver, a potential return to the pinnacle of motorsport could come with Cadillac, Bottas being flagged as a potential favourite for the American team.
In this article
Rebecca Braybrook
Formula 1
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