Before he took a Grand Prix victory, they called him Lando No-Wins. Now, the McLaren driver has been handed another brutal nickname.

Sky Sports Italy analyst Leo Turrini has dubbed the Briton “Blando Norris” in the build-up to the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola.

Lando Norris dubbed “Blando” ahead of Imola

Coming into the F1 2025 season, McLaren driver Lando Norris was perhaps easily considered the favorite for the title.

While Norris only secured his first victory at the 2024 Miami Grand Prix, he proved to be the sole driver capable of even attempting to mount a challenge against eventual champion Max Verstappen.

It was a quick turnaround; at the start of the F1 2024 season, the Briton had been plagued by the nickname “Lando No-Wins,” which clearly stung — to the extent that Norris even used the moniker in his own commemorative Miami victory merch.

But now, heading into the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, he’s facing a new nickname: Blando Norris.

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The name was handed out by Sky Sports Italy analyst Leo Turrini in his post-race report card.

Even though Turrini gave Norris a respectable 8/10 for his overall weekend grade, he wasn’t impressed by the Briton.

“As usual… Blando at the start,” he wrote.

Turrini is referring to the first-lap incident with Red Bull driver Max Verstappen in Miami this year. Norris, who was starting on the front row alongside polesitter Verstappen, tried to take advantage of his rival’s lock-up heading into the first turn.

Unfortunately, Norris wasn’t able to make the move stick. He ran off the track, lost momentum, and rejoined the track down in sixth place.

The remainder of his drive up to second on the podium was truly impressive, but for analysts like Turrini, it wasn’t enough to smudge out the ill feelings from the start. After all, had Norris managed to maintain a position ahead of his teammate Oscar Piastri, he very well could have taken a much-needed victory.

Speaking on Sky Sports F1 Germany’s post-Miami podcast, former racer turned pundit Ralf Schumacher took an equally dim view of Norris’ start line issues.

Schumacher claimed that Norris has been around long enough for there to be “no excuse” for his poor starts, citing several other drivers who have succeeded in that regard.

“Norris simply lacks that, and he won’t learn it,” Schumacher said.

“He’s missing the basics of overtaking. You actually learn that in karts, so he should be able to do it. He also took too long to get to the front at times.

“That’s a problem, quite honestly. And that’s not how he’ll become world champion.”

All eyes will be on Norris as we head into the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Italy — an event where qualifying pace and strong starts can dictate your overall finish.

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