The Nico Rosberg curse has once again come into the limelight after Lewis Hamilton beat Max Verstappen narrowly to claim pole position ahead of the Hungarian GP. Hamilton did the unthinkable after the drivers were made to race under a new qualifying format F1 introduced in Hungary. The curse, however, is only halfway through as the main race is still to take place on Sunday. If Rosberg’s curse decides to go the full distance, Verstappen’s winning streak could be under threat.
Amid multiple criticisms, F1 has finally decided to introduce a new qualifying format Initially placed for Imola, this format has received numerous objections. Interestingly, one of the drivers who objected to it was Hamilton, but as things stand, he seems to have benefitted from it.
Feel the emotions, feel the pride 🥹@LewisHamilton was absolutely ecstatic after taking a record 9th pole at the Hungaroring 👊#HungarianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/CUimI3lM5V
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 22, 2023
The Rosberg curse became an Internet meme after the 2016 world champion started posting pictures with drivers and teams on social media, only for them to fail the very next weekend. Even though he has no hand to pay for these results, the blame always seems to fall on his shoulders.
What did Nico Rosberg do to trigger the curse?
Ahead of Saturday’s qualification at Hungaroring, Rosberg paid a visit to the Red Bull garage. That too, he was in front of that of Max Verstappen’s side of the garage. There, he clicked a picture with the RB19, and showcased his support for the Dutchman on social media.
As soon as the image landed on the internet, it became viral with certain fans fearing the eventual outcome of the weekend. These fears were confirmed when Hamilton denied Verstappen the pole position.
the nico rosberg curse pic.twitter.com/queCA8ZJSd
— nini (@SCUDERIAFEMBOY) July 22, 2023
Similar to this, there were multiple instances where Rosberg supported a team or an individual who ended up losing. Notably, this came to light during the 2022 FIFA World Cup where he supported Morocco in the semi-finals, but they ended up losing to France. And this time it was the defending champion taking the axe.
Rosberg, after jinxing the Red Bull driver, praised his former teammate Hamilton. He said as per Sky Sports: “He [Lewis Hamilton] gave it everything he had. I witnessed these special moments and these days he used to have. Today was one of those.”
How did the qualification play out?
For the second time this season, a non-Red Bull driver ended up taking pole. Before Hamilton, it was Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc who managed to get the better of Verstappen and Co. earlier this year, in Azerbaijan. As for this weekend, Hamilton beat Verstappen by just 0.0003 seconds, and in P3 there was Lando Norris.
The 38-year-old capitalized on optimum tire preparation and in the end, came out on top. However, George Russell lost out on Saturday due to traffic that he encountered in Q1. The young Brit will start the race from P18.
Following the pole, Lewis Hamilton revealed that he will do everything to convert this to a race win on Sunday. Even though he knows he has Lando Norris and of course Verstappen to fend off, right behind him.
