Opinion: achieving greater consistency in voting

Max Verstappen was named Driver of the Day in Belgium in recognition of his performance, even though overtaking five cars is almost child's play when you're driving a rocket. Meanwhile, drivers further back are achieving similar or even greater feats without receiving the same recognition.

The assertion that Max Verstappen deserves the title of “Driver of the Day” is far from certain. While his five overtakes in quick succession, particularly on fast rivals, deserve applause, it should not be forgotten that he was driving the fastest car on the grid. Verstappen's talent is obvious, but comparable maneuvers can be performed by lower-ranked drivers.

At Spa, Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon, and even Alexander Albon made daring overtakes that brought the crowd to its feet, often taking the outside line with bold confidence. Yet none of them ranked in the top three in the public vote for Driver of the Day. Alpine, meanwhile, saw several of its drivers move up the standings, with Ocon in particular climbing from 15th on the grid to a points-scoring position. By all accounts, his efforts surpassed those of Verstappen on the day. The large Dutch fan base that traveled to watch the race clearly influenced the vote, as the award is decided by the public. While the double champion is the focus of discussion, he is not the only one to have been honored this season. His teammate Sergio Pérez also won this award earlier in the season, climbing from the back of the pack thanks to a high-performance car. With a slower car, the result would have been very different. It should be noted that this award is purely honorary and does not earn any points for the championship. Its purpose is to recognize and celebrate exceptional performances, which sometimes means that a driver stuck in the middle of the pack can win it ahead of the race leaders. However, these efforts often go unnoticed on television, as it is simply impossible to cover all twenty cars at once.