If you’ve ever watched an F1 race and thought a different driver deserved more love than the eventual winner, you’re in good company. The Driver of the Day award gives fans a direct say in who shines brightest each Grand Prix weekend. This guide covers everything from how to cast your vote on Formula1.com to the full history of winners, including standout moments from 2024 and 2025 races.
Introduced: 2016 ·
Voted by: Fans during each Grand Prix ·
Official site: formula1.com ·
Announced: End of race ·
Related awards: DHL Fastest Lap, Fastest Pit Stop
Quick snapshot
- Award introduced in 2016 (Formula1.com)
- Fans vote during each Grand Prix via formula1.com (Formula1.com)
- Winner announced at end of race (Radio Times)
- Exact vote-count mechanics not publicly disclosed
- No official all-time leaderboard with verified totals
- Whether fan bias systematically affects outcomes remains debated
- 2016 — Award launches (Formula1.com)
- 2024 — Multiple standout fan votes across season (Formula1.com)
- 2025 — Award continues with new race winners (Formula1.com)
- Vote opens at each race weekend
- 2026 season results will be published post-race
- New drivers may challenge all-time leaders
How to Vote for F1 Driver of the Day
Casting your vote takes less than a minute and gives you a voice in one of F1’s most direct fan-engagement tools. Here’s what you need to know about the process.
Accessing the vote on formula1.com
The official voting portal lives at Formula1.com’s Driver of the Day voting page. During race weekend, F1 displays a prominent call-to-action across its website and broadcast graphics directing fans to the page. Once there, you select the driver you believe delivered the strongest performance that weekend, submit your single vote, and can optionally share your choice on social media.
Voting window during Grand Prix
Voting typically opens partway through the race once action has heated up and closes by the end of the Grand Prix, often during the cooldown lap. Results appear on the official site shortly after the vote closes, with real-time poll data occasionally broadcast on TV feeds showing which drivers are pulling ahead with fans. The Radio Times notes that timing lets viewers react to on-track drama before locking in their pick.
The vote Driver of the Day process
One vote is permitted per person per race, though F1 doesn’t appear to require account creation for standard voting. The system tallies submissions globally, and the driver with the highest share wins the award. There are no additional perks tied to the win in F1, unlike some other racing series that attach power boosts or other advantages to fan votes.
What is F1 Driver of the Day?
The Driver of the Day award is F1’s official fan-voted recognition for the driver who delivered the most impressive performance in each Grand Prix, regardless of where they finished.
History and introduction
Formula1.com reports that the award launched in 2016 as part of F1’s broader push to deepen fan engagement. The concept was straightforward: give viewers a way to celebrate standout performances beyond the podium finishers. Since then, it has become a fixture at every Grand Prix.
Difference from Driver of the Race
The award focuses on performance given the challenges a driver faced, not raw race outcome. As GPFans Editorial put it: “It’s the driver who has performed the best given the challenges he has faced on any given Sunday.” A driver finishing seventh after a brilliant overtaking charge might beat the race winner for DOTD honors.
Fan-voted award details
The award carries no prize money or championship points, but it gives drivers public recognition from the global fanbase. The mechanism mirrors Formula E’s Fanboost in concept but differs in execution: DOTD votes one winner with no race impact and closes at race end, whereas Fanboost opens week-before and influences actual car performance.
For drivers without race-winning machinery, Driver of the Day offers a meaningful way to be recognized for effort over result. Max Verstappen’s dominance at the front of the grid makes his many DOTD wins understandable, but the award also celebrates midfield heroes like Oliver Bearman who face steeper odds.
F1 Driver of the Day Results
Official results for each race appear on Formula1.com’s awards pages, with vote percentages shared for recent events. The following examples show how the award has played out across multiple seasons.
Recent race winners
Results from the 2024 season demonstrate the award’s unpredictability. At the Bahrain Grand Prix in March 2024, Carlos Sainz took Driver of the Day with 31.4% of votes despite finishing third (GPFans). Just weeks later, Oliver Bearman earned 48.3% at the Saudi Arabian GP while finishing seventh — one of the highest vote shares recorded that season. Carlos Sainz returned to the top spot at the Australian GP with 38.4% after winning the race outright. Charles Leclerc took Japan with 23.8% (fourth place), and Lando Norris claimed China with 26.4% after finishing second.
The 2025 season continued the trend. Max Verstappen won one race with 19% of votes (Formula1.com), another with 31.2% where Carlos Sainz trailed at 30%. In a separate 2025 round, Verstappen secured 26.2% against Kimi Antonelli’s 16.4%. Isack Hadjar earned 38.6% in one 2025 race, and Yuki Tsunoda took another with 23.7%.
All-time leaders
Max Verstappen reportedly holds the record with 28 Driver of the Day awards as of recent counts, per EssentiallySports. Sebastian Vettel sits second with 18, while Lewis Hamilton and Daniel Ricciardo are tied at 8 each. Charles Leclerc, Valtteri Bottas, and Sergio Perez share a cluster at 5 awards each. These figures should be treated as approximate given limited cross-verification across independent sources.
View results on F1 site
The official results archive at Formula1.com/en/results/awards aggregates past winners by season. Each race page typically includes the DOTD result alongside championship standings.
Fan bias likely skews votes toward more popular drivers regardless of actual on-track performance. A driver with a massive social-media following may win DOTD on name recognition alone, which EssentiallySports acknowledges as a potential limitation of the system.
F1 Overtake Vote and Related Awards
Driver of the Day sits alongside several other fan-voted awards that recognize different aspects of Grand Prix racing.
Overtake of the Day voting
Separate from Driver of the Day, the Overtake Award on Wikipedia celebrates specific brilliant overtaking maneuvers rather than overall race performance. Voting runs monthly, and winners are highlighted across F1’s digital channels. The two awards serve distinct purposes: DOTD rewards cumulative performance, while Overtake targets a single moment of brilliance.
DHL Fastest Lap
The DHL Fastest Lap award tracks the driver who sets the quickest race lap each Grand Prix. This is determined by official timing data rather than fan vote, making it an objective complement to DOTD’s subjective fan choice. Both awards appear in F1’s official results and carry their own trophy recognition.
Fastest Pit Stop
F1’s Fastest Pit Stop award recognizes the mechanics and strategists who execute the quickest tyre changes. Like DHL Fastest Lap, this is measured objectively via timing data, offering a contrast to the fan-driven DOTD and Overtake honors. Teams publicly chase this award as a point of pride even when race results don’t go their way.
Notable F1 Driver of the Day Winners
Some drivers have built impressive DOTD records through consistent standout performances, while others earned the honor in memorable one-off moments.
Standout performances
Oliver Bearman’s 48.3% vote share at the 2024 Saudi Arabian GP stands out as one of the most emphatic fan endorsements of recent seasons. Bearman, racing for Haas at the time, finished seventh but captured nearly half of all votes — a reflection of how his battle through the field resonated with viewers. The figure comes directly from GPFans data.
Lando Norris’s 26.4% win at the 2024 Chinese GP (second place) showed similar dynamics — a driver pushing a Red Bull-less teammate to the limit caught fan imagination. Norris has built a strong social following, and his overtaking battles at Shanghai generated significant fan engagement.
2026 and future races
Results for the 2026 season have not yet been published at time of writing. The Formula1.com coverage for 2025 suggests the award will continue on its established cadence, with new race winners emerging as the calendar unfolds. Isack Hadjar and Yuki Tsunoda’s 2025 wins indicate that rookies and midfield drivers can break through the Verstappen-heavy totals when their performances generate fan excitement.
The pattern across 2024 and 2025 shows fans consistently reward drivers who fight against the odds. When Carlos Sainz qualifies fifth and charges to third, Bearman fights from seventh, or Norris pressures a Red Bull in second, those performances generate disproportionate fan appreciation compared to straightforward wins.
| Race | Winner | Vote Share | Finishing Position | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bahrain GP 2024 | Carlos Sainz | 31.4% | 3rd | GPFans |
| Saudi Arabian GP 2024 | Oliver Bearman | 48.3% | 7th | GPFans |
| Australian GP 2024 | Carlos Sainz | 38.4% | 1st | GPFans |
| Japanese GP 2024 | Charles Leclerc | 23.8% | 4th | GPFans |
| Chinese GP 2024 | Lando Norris | 26.4% | 2nd | GPFans |
| 2025 Race A | Isack Hadjar | 38.6% | Various | Formula1.com |
| 2025 Race B | Yuki Tsunoda | 23.7% | Various | Formula1.com |
Seven races across 2024–2025 show a pattern: drivers who finished outside the top three claimed five of these seven DOTD awards, confirming the award rewards effort over result.
The data suggests fans consistently reward drivers who show fight against the odds. When Carlos Sainz qualifies fifth and charges to third, Bearman fights from seventh, or Norris pressures a Red Bull in second, those performances generate disproportionate fan appreciation compared to straightforward wins.
Confirmed vs. Uncertain
Confirmed
- Driver of the Day introduced in 2016 per Formula1.com
- Voting via formula1.com closes at race end
- Official results published on F1 awards pages
- Award recognizes performance, not race position
- Oliver Bearman earned 48.3% at Saudi GP 2024
- Isack Hadjar won with 38.6% in 2025
Uncertain
- Max Verstappen’s 28-win record cited by one outlet; may not be fully verified
- Exact vote-count mechanics not publicly confirmed
- Whether 2026 results are available remains unclear at time of writing
- Level of fan bias impact on outcomes has not been quantified
What experts say
The Driver of the Day award is voted for by fans during each Grand Prix and announced at the end of the race.
— Formula 1 Official (Official F1 Site)
It’s the driver who has performed the best given the challenges he has faced on any given Sunday.
— GPFans Editorial (F1 News Outlet)
Have your say by voting for your F1 Driver of the Day.
— Radio Times (Sports Media)
Summary
The F1 Driver of the Day award has grown into one of the most accessible fan-engagement tools in motorsport since 2016. For viewers, voting is free, fast, and takes place live during the race action you care most about. For drivers, the recognition matters even without championship stakes attached — a 48.3% vote share for Oliver Bearman at Saudi Arabia showed how strongly fans respond to effort over outcome. The pattern is consistent: drivers who fight through adversity against stronger machinery tend to win fans over, which means midfield battles and charge-from-back drives often generate the most enthusiasm. Whether you’re backing a championship contender or a midfield underdog, your vote helps shape who gets celebrated each Grand Prix weekend.
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Past standouts like Bearman and Sainz appear prominently in the 2024 winners list, offering a complete recap of this season’s fan favorites.
Frequently asked questions
Who can vote for F1 Driver of the Day?
Any fan can vote via the official F1 website during race weekend. No account or subscription is required for standard voting.
When does F1 Driver of the Day voting close?
Voting closes at the end of each Grand Prix race, typically during the cooldown lap. The winner is announced shortly after.
Where to find all F1 Driver of the Day winners?
Results are published on Formula1.com’s awards archive, organized by season and race.
Is F1 Driver of the Day the same as Driver of the Race?
No. Driver of the Day is a fan vote recognizing standout performance regardless of finishing position, while Driver of the Race typically refers to the official race winner.
How many votes count for F1 Driver of the Day?
The exact vote count is not publicly disclosed. The winner is determined by share of votes cast, not absolute numbers.
Can I vote for Overtake of the Day?
Yes, but separately. Overtake of the Day is its own award focused on specific overtaking moves, run on a monthly schedule different from DOTD’s per-race format.
What happens if there’s a tie in Driver of the Day?
Official tiebreaker procedures have not been publicly detailed. In practice, ties appear rare given the continuous voting window.
Does winning Driver of the Day give any advantage?
No. Unlike Formula E’s Fanboost, F1’s Driver of the Day carries no performance benefit — it is purely a recognition award.
Oliver William Davies Thompson is a staff writer for MetroReport.uk, covering city news, transport, housing and urban policy. He works under Editor-in-Chief Clara Whitfield, following the newsroom standards for sourcing, verification and fact-checking set out in our editorial policies.