F1 fans to be able to vote for Driver of the Day

F1 fans will be able to vote for their 'Driver of the Day' during each grand prix, with a prize to be presented after the race.

The new award is being introduced in order to try and increase fan engagement, with viewers being encouraged to vote online during the race. The FIA confirmed the new award following a meeting of the F1 Commission on Tuesday in Geneva.

"The F1 Commission agreed to the introduction of a Driver of the Day award, to be implemented by the Commercial Rights Holder in conjunction with Formula One broadcasters, with the intention of driving greater fan engagement," the FIA announced.

"Viewers will be encouraged to vote online for their “Driver of the Day” throughout a Grand Prix, with the winner to be announced as part of the race broadcast immediately following the conclusion of the race, when the driver will be presented with their prize."

Other key items to come out of the F1 Commission meeting related to a new qualifying format, while radical changes to the 2017 aerodynamic regulations were approved.

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.

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