Romain Grosjean has become the first winner of the new-for-2016 Driver of the Day Award after scoring Haas F1 Team’s maiden Formula One points at the Australian Grand Prix.

Starting from 19th for the American team’s grand prix debut, the Frenchman steadily fought back to claim a strong sixth-place finish though his recovery was aided by the red flag that followed his team-mate Esteban Gutierrez and Fernando’s huge crash.

Indeed, Grosjean was effectively handed a free pit stop, with Haas bolting fresh medium tyres during the neutralisation. Still, the ex-Lotus ace had to withstand intense pressure from Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg and Williams’s Valtteri Bottas during the second half of a wild season opener.

The official F1 website has not revealed any vote count but added a note that said: “in the interests of fairness, multiple votes identified as originating from the same source were not counted.”

Australian Grand Prix - Driver ratings

REPORT: Rosberg beats Hamilton after huge Alonso crash

AS IT HAPPENED: 2016 Australian Grand Prix 

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Julien Billiotte

Recent Posts

The brutal mirror: Herbert’s no-filter advice for Lewis Hamilton

Few names in Formula 1 carry the same weight as Lewis Hamilton. Seven world titles.…

15 hours ago

Beltoise's one-off masterclass and 'Jour de Gloire'

One-time Grand Prix winner Jean-Pierre Beltoise was born on this day in 1937. The late…

17 hours ago

Rubber side up: Jos Verstappen’s Sunday somersault in Wallonia

Jos Verstappen’s efforts in this weekend’s  Rallye de Wallonie took a dramatic turn on Sunday…

18 hours ago

Mercedes ‘ticking all the boxes’ but Russell dismisses title hype

Three races into the 2026 season, and Kimi Antonelli and George Russell find themselves in…

18 hours ago

A grid of opportunity: BYD considers leap into Formula 1!

In Formula 1, whispers often travel faster than the cars themselves. And lately, one name…

20 hours ago

How Hadjar engineered his leap to ‘weird’ Red Bull seat

During his 2025 rookie season in F1, Isack Hadjar carried himself with a calm, almost…

21 hours ago