Is Max Verstappen's #3 CURSED?

TL;DR

Verstappen's switch from #33 to #3 in 2026 has coincided with a string of bad luck across both F1 and endurance racing.

Key Points

• 1.Verstappen's 2026 F1 season has been plagued by misfortune. He spun in Australia qualifying and started P20, finished P6; took a technical DNF in China; qualified P11 in Japan and finished P8; and was compromised by an early spin in Miami, finishing P5.
• 2.The #3 curse extended to endurance racing with Verstappen.com Racing. They were disqualified from NLS2 after winning for using too many tyres, suffered a broken splitter in NLS5 finishing P38, and retired from the 24 Hours of Nürburgring with a mechanical issue — all while racing under car number 3.
• 3.Verstappen chose #3 over #33 because it was always his favourite number. He used #33 only because teammate Daniel Ricciardo held #3; once Ricciardo retired and the FIA updated its reuse rule, Verstappen took #3, saying 'I've already had my luck in F1' with #33.
• 4.The number 3 was equally unlucky for Daniel Ricciardo. Despite beating four-time champion Vettel in 2014, Ricciardo never won a title, suffered repeated technical DNFs, was dropped by McLaren for Piastri, got injured at Red Bull's sister team, and eventually retired without a championship.
• 5.Verstappen himself dismisses superstitions and has broken curses before. He ended the Monza winner's curse by winning in 2023 after winning in 2022, and his team attributes the Nürburgring loss to racing's unpredictable attrition rather than a cursed number.