The driver of the day award remains one of Formula 1’s most popular fan-voted honors, and Kimi Antonelli is the latest confirmed winner after his spectacular Italian Grand Prix performance at Monza. The Mercedes teenager started from 19th and fought his way to victory, earning 39.9% of the fan vote. Max Verstappen finished second in the voting with 16%, while George Russell took third with 7.9%.
The award has become an important part of the modern Formula 1 weekend. It gives fans a direct opportunity to recognize the performance they found most impressive, regardless of where that driver finishes in the official race classification.
The latest official award list covers the opening 13 Grands Prix through Italy. The Spanish Grand Prix was held at Madrid’s new Madring circuit on September 13, where Antonelli secured another victory. However, the official Formula 1 award table has not yet added a Spanish race winner to its published fan-vote results.
That makes Antonelli’s Monza honor the latest officially confirmed result at the time of writing.
What the Award Represents
The award was introduced in 2016 as a way for Formula 1 fans to recognize an outstanding performance during each Grand Prix.
Unlike championship points, the award does not depend on finishing position alone. Fans can support a driver because of a comeback, a strong defensive drive, an aggressive strategy, a difficult overtaking sequence or an impressive recovery from trouble.
That has produced some memorable results over the years.
A race winner can receive the award, but winning the race is not required. A driver finishing second, third or even lower can attract the largest share of the vote if fans believe the performance deserves special recognition.
The voting takes place during the Grand Prix, with the result announced after the race.
This format gives the award a different character from Formula 1’s official championship standings. The Drivers’ Championship measures points accumulated throughout the season. The fan vote measures the performance that captured the audience’s attention during a specific race.
Kimi Antonelli Holds the Latest Confirmed Honor
Antonelli’s victory at Monza produced the most recent officially confirmed award result.
The Italian driver entered his home race as the championship leader but faced a major setback before the start. An engine-related penalty sent him to 19th on the grid.
That starting position made victory extremely difficult.
Antonelli did not allow the penalty to determine his afternoon. He moved through the field with a combination of pace, overtaking and strategic execution.
Mercedes also made crucial decisions during the race. A Virtual Safety Car created an opportunity for pit-stop strategy, helping Antonelli gain ground as the battle at the front developed.
The young Mercedes driver eventually reached the fight for first place.
His teammate George Russell had started near the front and remained in contention for the victory. Antonelli eventually passed Russell in the closing stages and secured the win.
The result was particularly significant because it came at Monza, one of the most important venues on the Formula 1 calendar.
Antonelli became the first Italian driver in six decades to win the Italian Grand Prix. His victory also marked his seventh Grand Prix win of the 2026 season.
Fans responded strongly.
Antonelli received 39.9% of the award vote, comfortably ahead of Verstappen’s 16%. Russell received 7.9%, followed by Pierre Gasly at 6.2% and Oscar Piastri at 6%.
Why the Monza Vote Was So Strong
The size of Antonelli’s voting advantage reflected the unusual circumstances surrounding his victory.
Starting 19th and winning the race created an obvious comeback narrative, but the performance involved more than simply gaining positions.
Antonelli needed to manage traffic throughout the race. Every overtake mattered because losing time behind slower cars could have ended his hopes of reaching the leaders.
The Mercedes driver also had to maintain enough tire performance to remain competitive during the later stages.
Once he reached the front, another challenge appeared. Russell was already established as a serious contender for victory.
Antonelli’s eventual pass on his teammate completed a remarkable recovery.
For fans, the combination was difficult to ignore:
- He started 19th.
- He won the Italian Grand Prix.
- He defeated his Mercedes teammate.
- He became the first Italian winner at Monza in 60 years.
- He strengthened his championship position.
- He received 39.9% of the fan vote.
The result made Monza one of the clearest examples of why the fan award exists.
The 2026 Award Results So Far
The official Formula 1 results show a wide range of winners during the 2026 season.
| Grand Prix | Award Winner |
|---|---|
| Australia | Max Verstappen |
| China | Kimi Antonelli |
| Japan | Oscar Piastri |
| Miami | Max Verstappen |
| Canada | Lewis Hamilton |
| Monaco | Kimi Antonelli |
| Barcelona-Catalunya | Lewis Hamilton |
| Austria | Max Verstappen |
| Great Britain | Charles Leclerc |
| Belgium | Charles Leclerc |
| Hungary | Max Verstappen |
| Netherlands | Lando Norris |
| Italy | Kimi Antonelli |
The distribution shows that several leading drivers have received strong support from fans.
Verstappen has collected four awards. Antonelli has three. Hamilton, Leclerc and Norris have also earned recognition.
Oscar Piastri’s victory in Japan gives him one award, while the remaining winners have each received at least one honor during the campaign.
This variety is important because the award does not simply mirror the championship standings.
Antonelli’s First Award Came in China
Antonelli’s rise in the voting began earlier in the season.
At the Chinese Grand Prix, the Mercedes driver secured his first Formula 1 victory and also won the fan vote.
The weekend was already historic before the race finished.
Antonelli became Formula 1’s youngest-ever pole sitter and then converted that performance into his maiden Grand Prix victory.
He also recorded the fastest lap.
The fan vote was extremely close between Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton. Antonelli collected 23.4%, while Hamilton finished with 22.3%.
That narrow result demonstrated how competitive the fan vote can become when multiple drivers produce strong performances.
Antonelli’s breakthrough in China became an early indication of the role he would play in the 2026 season.
Monaco Added Another Antonelli Award
Antonelli earned another fan-voted honor at Monaco.
He delivered a controlled performance around the streets of Monte Carlo, starting from pole and leading from the beginning to the end of the race.
He also recorded the fastest lap.
The victory marked another major step in his rapid development and strengthened his championship position.
Fans awarded him 22.4% of the vote.
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton each received 14.1%, while Isack Hadjar took 11.2%.
Antonelli’s Monaco result was very different from his Monza victory.
At Monaco, he controlled the race from the front.
At Monza, he had to recover from 19th.
Both performances nevertheless earned the same fan recognition.
That contrast illustrates the flexibility of the award. A driver can win the vote through dominant control or through an extraordinary comeback.
Max Verstappen Has Four Awards
Verstappen leads the 2026 award count alongside a group of highly recognized drivers, with four wins so far.
His honors came in Australia, Miami, Austria and Hungary.
The Austrian result was particularly notable.
Verstappen had crashed during qualifying and started the race under difficult circumstances. He recovered to finish second at Red Bull’s home event.
His performance included several intense battles and ultimately produced his best race result of the season at that stage.
Fans responded by giving him the award.
The Hungary result provided another example of the award’s independence from the race winner.
Lando Norris won the Grand Prix, but Verstappen finished second after starting fourth. His strategy and race pace impressed enough fans to secure the honor.
That result reinforces an important point: the award recognizes a driver’s performance rather than simply copying the top position on the podium.
Lewis Hamilton Has Also Been Recognized
Hamilton has collected two fan-voted awards during the 2026 season.
His first came in Canada.
He later received the honor at Barcelona-Catalunya after securing his first Grand Prix victory for Ferrari.
Hamilton’s Barcelona performance generated particularly strong fan support.
He won the race ahead of George Russell and Lando Norris, producing a result that became one of the defining moments of Ferrari’s season.
The award added another milestone to Hamilton’s first season with Ferrari.
His Canadian and Barcelona honors show how the fan vote can recognize both race-winning performances and memorable drives during a season-long championship.
Charles Leclerc Won Back-to-Back Awards
Leclerc also became a two-time winner during the 2026 campaign.
He received the award after the British Grand Prix and then followed it with another fan-vote victory in Belgium.
His Belgian performance was particularly notable because he finished second at Spa.
Kimi Antonelli eventually passed him for the race win, but Leclerc’s Ferrari remained competitive throughout the event.
Fans selected Leclerc with 17.7% of the vote.
Antonelli finished second in that voting with 13.8%, followed by Isack Hadjar at 13.4%.
The result is another clear example of how the award can go to a driver who does not win the race.
Lando Norris Has One Confirmed Award
Norris is also among the 2026 winners.
The McLaren driver earned the award at the Dutch Grand Prix.
He won the race at Zandvoort after a dramatic contest that saw Max Verstappen retire.
Norris finished ahead of Antonelli and Russell, giving him both the Grand Prix victory and the fan recognition.
His season has included several other standout performances as well.
At the Spanish Grand Prix, Norris produced an outstanding qualifying lap to take pole at the new Madring circuit.
He beat Antonelli by just 0.011 seconds.
The narrow qualifying margin underlined how competitive the two drivers were around the new Madrid venue.
The Spanish Grand Prix Creates a New Award Question
The Spanish Grand Prix became the latest race on the 2026 calendar on September 13.
Antonelli started second behind Norris and ultimately converted that grid position into another Grand Prix victory.
He defeated Max Verstappen, while Norris finished third.
The result gave Antonelli his eighth Grand Prix victory of the 2026 season.
It also increased his advantage in the Drivers’ Championship.
However, the official fan-vote award remains a separate matter.
Formula 1’s published 2026 award table currently ends with Italy and lists Antonelli as the winner there. The Spanish result has not yet appeared on that official award page.
Therefore, it would be premature to name a Spanish winner without an official published result.
That distinction matters for readers looking for the latest confirmed information.
Antonelli clearly delivered another winning performance in Madrid, but the race result and the fan award should not be treated as identical.
Why Fan Voting Remains Important
Formula 1 has developed a massive international audience, and the award gives that audience a direct role during every race weekend.
Championship points are determined by finishing position. The fan vote works differently.
Fans can focus on moments that do not always appear in the final standings.
A driver who starts near the back and finishes inside the points may receive strong support.
A driver who spends most of a race defending against faster cars can also attract votes.
A late comeback can become more memorable than a straightforward victory.
That freedom makes the award particularly interesting for fans following individual performances.
It also explains why the list of winners does not perfectly match the race winners.
Antonelli’s Position After Spain
Antonelli’s latest race victory makes his championship position even stronger.
He entered the Spanish weekend with a 66-point advantage over Russell after winning at Monza.
After winning again in Madrid, that advantage increased.
The consecutive victories in Italy and Spain have therefore strengthened Antonelli’s position at the top of the championship while also adding to his growing list of major 2026 performances.
His fan-vote record now includes China, Monaco and Italy.
If the Spanish fan vote is subsequently added to the official results, it could potentially give Antonelli another award following his latest victory.
Until that official result is published, Italy remains the latest confirmed award winner.
The Latest Confirmed Status
As of September 13, 2026, Kimi Antonelli is the latest officially confirmed winner of Formula 1’s fan-voted award.
His 39.9% share at Monza was the strongest published result from the Italian Grand Prix, where he produced one of the most dramatic comebacks of the season.
The Spanish Grand Prix has now added another victory to Antonelli’s campaign, but its fan-vote result has not yet been included in Formula 1’s official award table.
The 2026 results already show how unpredictable the recognition can be. Verstappen, Antonelli, Hamilton, Leclerc, Norris and Piastri have all received honors, with the award reflecting individual performances rather than simply the championship order.
For fans in the United States, the award offers another reason to follow each Grand Prix closely. The final race classification tells one story, while the fan vote can highlight the driver whose performance made the biggest impression.
Who do you think deserves the next fan-voted honor? Share your choice in the comments and stay tuned for the next official Formula 1 result.