Introduced in 2016, the Driver of the Day award quickly gained popularity in the F1 scene. As the 2023 season ended with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the viewers were able to witness the clash between teams to secure the second spot in the Constructors’ Standings, particularly between Ferrari and Mercedes. After Carlos Sainz crashed during the practice session, his car suffered from significant damage which lost them the shot at beating Silver Arrows.
However, AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda won the ‘Driver of the Day’ title at the Yas Marina Circuit. It was his first title of the 2023 season. But as the 2023 episode reached its climax, it raised the question that who won the maximum number of ‘Driver of the Day’ accolades.
Lando Norris, five F1 ‘Driver of the Day’ titles
McLaren driver Lando Norris has not one or two but five such titles. Starting from the Austrian Grand Prix which took place between 30 June to 2 July, the driver landed P4 after pushing off Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso, both Mercedes as well as Carlos Sainz. His subsequent title win was during the British Grand Prix where he scored his maiden podium of his career on English soil.
Your @F1 Driver Of The Day… Lando Norris!#AustrianGP 🇦🇹 pic.twitter.com/M4SFqIZZMG
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) July 2, 2023
The papaya driver had to wait for a while for his next title, which came during the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas. Lando Norris’ other ‘Driver of the Day’ wins were at Mexico and Brazil.
Sergio Perez, three F1 ‘Driver of the Day’ titles
The second driver at Red Bull won his first such title of the 2023 season back in the Australian Grand Prix. The race unfolded with intense drama and was marred by numerous accidents. Nevertheless, Sergio Perez managed to navigate his way to the much more respectable P5 position and also had the fastest lap time in the race.
From 20th to 5th… Sergio PEREZ is the Driver of the Day! 👏 pic.twitter.com/S3iKIzs8I1
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 2, 2023
Along with his first race win of the season, which turned out to be somewhat controversial, Perez was awarded the ‘Driver of the Day’ title at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. He then went on to secure the title yet again at the very recent Qatar Grand Prix where his teammate Max Verstappen earned his early championship win.
Max Verstappen, three F1 ‘Driver of the Day’ titles
The three-time World Champion was forced to the fifteenth position as he started the race owing to a technical glitch at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix. But he managed to overcome the momentary setback and won the second spot at the end of the race as well as the accolade. His other wins were at the Miami Grand Prix and the Belgian Grand Prix which set the bar high for the rest of the grid.
🏁DRIVER OF THE DAY!
MAX VERSTAPPEN!🇱🇺Up 13 places from the grid 📈📈📈@Max33Verstappen
is our #F1DriverOfTheDay in Jeddah!#SaudiArabianGP #F1 @salesforce #alphidius pic.twitter.com/ai21s12ukl— 𝓝𝓮𝔀 𝓨𝓸𝓴 𝓒𝓲𝓽𝔂☬༒Have a Great Day! (@AlfidioValera) March 19, 2023