Do you believe in coincidences? I guarantee you that all F1 fans believe in it. Otherwise, why would someone lose their job or retire when Lewis Hamilton posts a topless photo also known as the thirst trap? Call it a curse or a coincidence, but it’s most definitely a part of the sport. With the Italian GP at Monza just a few hours away, we try to decode the two curses that might change the outcome of the race. The Nico Rosberg Curse vs. the Monza Curse. 

Carlos Sainz qualified on pole position for the Italian GP with Max Verstappen starting just behind him. Both the cars were equally matched in qualifying with only a hundredth between them. As a result, one of the two curses can change the outcome of the Grand Prix. Carlos Sainz is chasing his first win of the season at Ferrari’s home GP whereas Max Verstappen is looking to win his 10th consecutive race and break Sebastian Vettel’s record. A lot is on the line for both drivers.

But what about the curses? Well, the Monza Curse started back in 2019. The curse advised that whoever is the race winner of the previous year will DNF during the current Italian GP. On the other hand, the Nico Rosberg curse is when the German driver posts a picture with a garage or a car of the driver from the race weekend just before the session starts and the session turns upside down for the driver.

Charles Leclerc in 2020, Pierre Gasly in 2021, and Daniel Ricciardo in 2022, have all fallen for this trap and DNF in the respective years. The Nico Rosberg curse happened as recently as yesterday when the former champ predicted that Verstappen would get the pole and that didn’t happen. Also going back to the Hungarian GP, where Rosberg posted a photo with Verstappen’s RB19 and Hamilton took the pole. Then on race day, he posted a picture with Hamilton’s car and the Briton ended up having a poor start and finished the race in P4. 

Read More: Ferrari’s Stroke of Genius Makes Carlos Sainz Favorite to Win Italian GP Despite Max Verstappen’s Boastful Claims

But which curse will prove fatal at the Italian Grand Prix? Is there any pattern or comparison that we should be telling you? Or any additional information? Who will be affected more by the respective curse, Max Verstappen or Carlos Sainz? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

Monza Curse for Max Verstappen or Nico Rosberg curse for Carlos Sainz? Which will prove fatal?

Well, the answer isn’t as straightforward. Max Verstappen has been breaking all kinds of records this year. We believe that the Monza curse might not be able to stop the sheer determination of the Dutchman to win. Evidently, the Red Bull is a better race car. On the other hand, it’s hard to see Nico Rosberg posting a picture with Carlos Sainz. After the Hungary GP curse drama, Rosberg in a podcast advised that he would stop posting the images and get rid of the speculations.

So where does that leave it? Technically the Monza curse has already been applied to Max Verstappen whereas Nico Rosberg may or may not be a thing. But even if Rosberg does post a picture with Sainz’s car or the Spaniard, it might only be the case that Sainz finishes lower than where he started. While the Monza curse advised that Max Verstappen will DNF. Retiring is much worse than losing the pole and finishing below it.

So, both the curse may or may not be applied, but if applied, the Monza curse will turn out to be the more devastating one. What do you think about curses and coincidences? 

WATCH THIS STORY | Charles Leclerc Extends 6-Year Monaco GP Curse by Wrecking Iconic Lauda Ferrari Chassis