Who has won the most fan-voted awards?

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.  

Who has won Driver of the Day the most?

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.

Verstappen has taken two memorable Driver of the Day wins at the Austrian GP. The first came in 2016 after his second career podium, giving Red Bull its first podium at its home race. The Dutchman also won the vote at the 2018 race when he took the victory and secured the team its first win at the Red Bull Ring. 

2. Sebastian Vettel — 23 wins

Vettel has the second-most Driver of the Day awards with 23 wins between 2016 and 2022. The German took his first fan-voted win at the 2016 Singapore GP after converting a qualifying position of 22nd into fifth. The Driver of the Day award was one of three he received that year, with further wins at the Mexican and Abu Dhabi grands prix. 

Podium: race winner Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari

Photo by: Ercole Colombo

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.  

Norris is quickly racking up Driver of the Day wins, topping half of the polls already this season. The Brit’s first win came during his rookie season at the 2019 French GP after he finished in ninth despite battling a hydraulics problem which left him unable to use his DRS.  

Another Driver of the Day win came at the 2021 Russian GP, when Norris looked set to take his maiden victory. Having qualified on pole and led most of the race, Norris was faced with a dilemma when heavy rain fell in the closing laps. Opting to remain on slicks, this decision backfired and resulted in him dropping to seventh as Hamilton took the victory. 

He took the Driver of the Day vote at the 2023 British Grand Prix after getting a better start off the line and taking the lead into the first corner. Norris’ home crowd went wild as the Brit held off the chasing Verstappen for the first four laps. Although he was not able to take the win, Norris did finish second, just ahead of fellow British driver Hamilton. 

Norris has proven increasingly popular with the fans this season, taking half the Driver of the Day wins in 2024. His most notable win came at the Miami GP when he claimed his maiden victory after taking the lead on lap 27. 

=4. Lewis Hamilton — 14 wins

Seven-time world champion Hamilton is tied fourth in this ranking. His first win came at the 2016 Belgian GP after starting the race in 21st and finishing in third, making him the first driver to claim three podiums after starting 20th or lower. 

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1st position, celebrates after the race with a Union flag

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Perez has equalled the 14 Driver of the Day wins of Hamilton just four races after the British driver. The Mexican driver took his first award at the 2016 Monaco GP and claimed his second of the year two races later at the European GP — the first F1 race held at the Baku City Circuit in Azerbaijan.  

He failed to claim another Driver of the Day for four years, with his next fan-voted award coming at the 2020 Styrian GP, where he qualified 17th and finished in sixth, setting several fastest laps as he fought for a potential podium finish.

Perez also took the Driver of the Day vote at the 2021 Mexican GP, where he claimed third place and became the first Mexican driver to take a podium at his home race. 

His latest Driver of the Day came at the 2023 Hungarian GP when he qualified ninth but ended up on the podium. 

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24, 1st position, celebrates on arrival in Parc Ferme

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

After moving to Ferrari in 2019, Leclerc claimed another Driver of the Day win at that year’s Italian GP after he was able to claim his second F1 victory. This followed directly on from his win at the Belgian GP.

Leclerc’s only Driver of the Day win of 2023 came at the Las Vegas GP, which saw him defeat Perez after a tense battle before finishing in second.

His latest Driver of the Day came at the 2024 Monaco GP, when he was able to finally break the so-called ‘curse’ to stand on the top step of the podium on his hometown streets. 

Daniel Ricciardo claimed his first Driver of the Day at the 2016 German GP, after taking second place in his 100th grand prix start. His 13th podium finish ended with the first of his iconic shoey celebrations, with the Australian pouring champagne into his boot before drinking it. 

Ricciardo took the Driver of the Day win at the 2017 British GP after he qualified at the back of the grid and was able to climb to fifth by the time he crossed the finish line. He took another Driver of the Day at the Tuscan GP, after finishing fourth in the race and was in contention to secure Renault’s first podium in nine years. 

He also claimed Driver of the Day at the 2021 Italian GP in Monza after scoring McLaren’s first grand prix win since Hamilton’s success at the 2010 Canadian GP.

Alonso has claimed just six Driver of the Day wins since its introduction in 2016. The Spaniard’s first win came at the 2018 Australian GP after he turned the qualifying position of 11th into fifth during the race. He then also took the win at the final race of the season, the Abu Dhabi GP, as fans seemed to give him a parting gift before he exited the sport for a short-lived retirement. 

Fernando Alonso, McLaren, at the drivers parade

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

He started the 2023 season with a string of strong performances after joining Aston Martin. Alonso took the Driver of the Day win during the season opener in Bahrain when he found himself back on the podium, with a surprise third-place.  

Sainz has equalled the number of Driver of the Day wins of Alonso, after claiming two so far in 2024. His first fan-voted win came at the 2021 Turkish GP after making a number of overtakes in the first laps of the race, moving from 19th to eighth.  

The Spaniard claimed the Driver of the Day win at the 2023 Singapore GP when he was able to secure his second career win. Sainz had led the entire race and then strategically kept Norris in his DRS range during the final laps, making it harder for both Mercedes drivers to fight for second place. The Ferrari driver’s victory was the only win by a non-Red Bull driver in the 2023 season. 

Sainz’s two 2024 awards came early, in Bahrain and Australia. In the latter, he also secured the race win as Verstappen was forced to retire with a brake issue. This was only the second non-Red Bull victory in 25 races, the other occasion also resulting on Sainz taking a trip to the top step of the podium.

Bottas took his first Driver of the Day win at the 2017 Russian Grand Prix after the Finnish driver claimed his maiden grand prix victory. He took the win just four races into his first season with Mercedes, leading Vettel by just 0.617 seconds. 

Bottas took another Driver of the Day win at the 2019 Australian GP where he claimed the race victory from second place, which then gave him the lead in the drivers’ championship standings.  

How to vote for F1 Driver of the Day

The vote will open during the race and will close with a few laps left to go. The real-time results will usually appear on the screen multiple times before the vote closes, to show fans who is sitting in the top three positions.  

The driver of the day will be announced towards the end of the race and the driver will be told if they have won once the race has finished. 

What is the prize for Driver of the Day?

There is no prize for an F1 driver when they win the Driver of the Day at a grand prix. The vote shows the fans’ recognition for a driver’s performance and does not come with any financial incentive or trophy prize.