2021 Driver of the Day
Official F1 Driver of the Day voting results
2021 season summary
Formula 1 fans voted on 21 Driver of the Day awards in 2021. Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez won the most (3), and the highest winning share was 42.82% for Kimi Räikkönen at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Formula 1 published the top five of each vote; the table below lists every race.
Season Overview
Wins per Driver
Winning Vote % Trend
Highest Vote % Winners
Top performances across season
Race-by-Race Voting Patterns
Top 5 vote percentages for each race this season
Historical Driver of the Day
All-Time DOTD Leaderboard
Total wins across all seasons (2016-current)
Voting Competitiveness Trend
Average margin between 1st and 2nd place by year
All-Time Highest Vote % Winners
Top 15 performances across all seasons (2016-current)
Most Competitive Races
Top 25 closest voting margins
All-Time Records
Winning Vote Share
How many Drivers of the Day won with each share of the vote (2018-current)
Vote Fragmentation
Average share won by the winner, and left outside the published top five, per season (2019-current)
Biggest Landslides
Top 15 winning margins over the runner-up (2018-current)
The Nearly-Men
Most runner-up finishes in the fan vote (2018-current)
Still Waiting for a Win
Most top-5 votes without a Driver of the Day award (2019-current)
First-Time Winners
Every driver's first Driver of the Day award, newest first
Voting Breakdown
Frequently Asked Questions
The Driver of the Day (DOTD) is an official Formula 1 fan award that recognizes the driver who delivered the most impressive performance during a Grand Prix. The award is entirely voted for by fans around the world through the official Formula 1 website and app.
Key features of the award:
- Fan-voted: 100% determined by F1 fans worldwide through official channels
- Real-time voting: Fans can vote during the race and shortly after it concludes
- Official recognition: Winners are announced directly by Formula 1
- Historical data: Complete voting results available from 2016 onwards
Note: The winner doesn't always have to finish on the podium or even score points. Drivers who start from the back of the grid and fight through the field often win this award for their outstanding recovery drives.
Our Driver of the Day dashboard includes comprehensive voting data from 2016 to the current season. The award was introduced by Formula 1 in 2016, making our database complete from its inception.
Data completeness by period:
- 2016-2017: Winner names only (no voting percentages published by F1 for these seasons)
- 2018: Top 3 drivers and their voting percentages
- 2019 onwards: Complete data including winners and top 5 finishers with vote percentages
Download data: Driver of the Day data and more is available for download at tracinginsights.com/data/
Pro tip: Use the year selector at the top of the page to explore different seasons. Historical data allows you to track how fan favorites have evolved over the years.
The dashboard features multiple interactive charts to help you analyze Driver of the Day voting patterns and trends.
Season Overview Charts:
- Wins per Driver: Horizontal bar chart showing total DOTD awards won by each driver in the selected season
- Winning Vote % Trend: Line chart tracking vote percentages across races to identify voting patterns
- Highest Vote % Winners: Displays the top performances by vote percentage for the selected year
- Race-by-Race Voting Patterns: Shows top 4 vote percentages for each race to visualize competitive voting
Historical Data Charts:
- All-Time DOTD Leaderboard: Cumulative wins from 2016 to present showing the most decorated drivers
- Voting Competitiveness Trend: Average margin between 1st and 2nd place by year showing how close voting has been
- All-Time Highest Vote %: Top 15 performances across all seasons combined
- Most Competitive Races: Table of the 25 closest voting margins in DOTD history
Pro tip: Hover over any data point in the charts to see detailed information including driver names, vote percentages, and race details.
The dashboard offers two viewing modes to analyze Driver of the Day data from different perspectives.
Season Overview Tab:
Provides a comprehensive view of an entire season's DOTD voting results including:
- Summary statistics: Most awards won, highest vote percentage, and total races
- Visual trends: Charts showing voting patterns and driver performance throughout the year
- Detailed table: Sortable table with all races showing top 4 finishers and vote percentages
- Historical analytics: All-time statistics and comparisons across multiple seasons
Race Details Tab:
Focuses on individual race voting breakdowns featuring:
- Winner spotlight: Detailed card showing the DOTD winner with their vote percentage
- Complete voting breakdown: Bar chart displaying all drivers who received votes
- Race information: Grand Prix name, date, and other relevant details
- Race selector: Dropdown to quickly switch between different races in the season
Navigation tip: Use the tabs at the top to switch between Season Overview and Race Details. Changes to the year selector automatically update both views.
The interactive results table in the Season Overview tab provides a comprehensive breakdown of all Driver of the Day voting for a selected year with powerful sorting capabilities.
Table columns:
- Round: Race number in the championship calendar
- Grand Prix: Name of the race event
- Winner & Vote %: DOTD winner and their vote percentage
- 2nd, 3rd, 4th Place & Vote %: Runners-up with their respective vote percentages
How to sort the table:
- Click any column header to sort by that category
- First click: Sorts in descending order (high to low for numbers, Z-A for text)
- Second click: Reverses to ascending order (low to high for numbers, A-Z for text)
- Third click: Returns to default sort (by round number, descending)
The sort icon (↕) changes to show the current sort direction: ↑ for ascending, ↓ for descending.
Useful sorting examples:
- Sort by Winner: Group races by which driver won DOTD
- Sort by Vote %: Find the most dominant DOTD performances
- Sort by Grand Prix: View races alphabetically
- Sort by Round: See races in chronological order
Pro tip: Sort by the winner's vote percentage to quickly identify the most convincing Driver of the Day victories where fans overwhelmingly agreed on one driver.
The Historical Data section combines voting results from 2016 to present, providing advanced analytics that reveal long-term trends and driver performance across multiple seasons.
Key analytics metrics:
- Most Consistent Driver: Driver with the highest percentage of top-4 finishes in DOTD voting relative to races participated
- Most Top-4 Appearances: Driver with the most cumulative appearances in the top 4 of DOTD voting across all seasons
- Longest Win Streak: The driver who won DOTD for the most consecutive races, including the year and races involved
Historical visualizations:
- All-Time DOTD Leaderboard: Cumulative wins from 2016-current showing career DOTD achievements
- Voting Competitiveness Trend: Year-by-year analysis of how close the voting has been (average margin between 1st and 2nd place)
- All-Time Highest Vote %: Top 15 strongest DOTD performances by vote percentage across all seasons
- Most Competitive Races: The 25 closest DOTD votes in history where the margin between winner and runner-up was smallest
Insight: The competitiveness trend shows how fan engagement has evolved. Lower margins suggest more divisive or competitive performances, while higher margins indicate clearer standout drives.
Historical DOTD data availability varies by season due to changes in Formula 1's data collection and publication practices over time.
Data availability timeline:
- 2016-2017: Only winner names available (Formula 1 did not publish detailed voting percentages for these inaugural years)
- 2018: Top 3 drivers and their voting percentages
- 2019 onwards: Complete data with winners and top 5 finishers with vote percentages
What this means for charts:
- For 2016-2017: Only the "Wins per Driver" chart displays since vote percentages weren't published
- For 2018: Top 3 finishers are shown in charts and tables
- For 2019 onwards: All charts work including vote percentage trends, top 5 comparisons, and competitiveness analysis
- Historical analytics combine all available data, with percentage-based metrics starting from 2018
- The all-time leaderboard counts total wins from all years (2016-present)
Note: Formula 1 has progressively increased data transparency over the years. Recent seasons have the most comprehensive voting data available.
Driver of the Day is a fan-voted award that often differs from the official race classification, as it recognizes the most impressive performance rather than just the finishing position.
Common DOTD scenarios:
- Comeback drives: Drivers starting from the back who fight through the field often win regardless of final position
- Heroic defenses: Drivers holding off faster cars or making bold overtakes
- Overperforming cars: Drivers who extract exceptional performance from slower machinery
- Race winners: Dominant victories from pole position sometimes win, but not always
Statistical patterns:
- Approximately 40-50% of DOTD winners finish on the podium (P1-P3)
- Around 20-30% of race winners also win Driver of the Day
- Drivers starting outside the top 10 and finishing in points positions are strong candidates
- Penalty recoveries and damage limitation drives often receive significant fan recognition
Example: A driver starting P20 and finishing P6 often wins DOTD over the race winner who started on pole, as fans reward the more challenging and entertaining performance.
Driver of the Day winners tend to have certain characteristics that resonate with F1 fans worldwide. The award often goes to drivers who display exceptional racing craft, determination, or entertainment value.
Driver characteristics that win DOTD awards:
- Popular personalities: Drivers with large fanbases naturally receive more votes
- Overtaking masters: Drivers who make bold, wheel-to-wheel passes
- Underdogs: Drivers extracting exceptional performance from midfield or slower cars
- Recovery specialists: Drivers overcoming early setbacks or penalties
- Consistent performers: Drivers who regularly deliver impressive drives
All-time DOTD leaders:
Check the "All-Time DOTD Leaderboard" chart in the Historical Data section to see which drivers have won the most awards since 2016. The leaderboard typically features:
- Multiple race winners who have had long careers in F1
- Fan favorites known for aggressive, attacking driving styles
- Drivers who frequently race in the midfield battle (more opportunities for standout drives)
Interesting fact: Use the Historical Data section to explore consistency metrics—some drivers win DOTD frequently despite not winning many races, showing their ability to consistently deliver entertaining performances.
Our Driver of the Day data is sourced from official Formula 1 channels and meticulously maintained in our public data repository for transparency and accessibility.
Data sources:
- Official F1 announcements: Vote results published by Formula 1 after each race
- Historical records: Archived DOTD winners from Formula 1's official communications
- Community verification: Cross-checked with multiple F1 media sources for accuracy
Data repository:
All Driver of the Day data is available on our public GitHub repository, organized by year:
- Structured JSON format: Easy to parse and integrate into your own projects
- Yearly files: Separate data files for each season from 2016 onwards
- Regular updates: New race results added within hours of official F1 announcements
- Version controlled: Full history of changes and corrections tracked via Git
Disclaimer: TracingInsights is an independent fan project and is not affiliated with Formula 1, the FIA, or any F1 team. All Formula 1 trademarks are property of Formula One Licensing BV.