Lando Norris mocked ahead of Imola GP

Lando Norris will line up at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix carrying a fresh and unfriendly label.



In a post-race report for Sky Sports Italy, veteran commentator Leo Turrini christened the McLaren driver “Blando Norris,” a twist on the “Lando No-Wins” moniker that trailed him until his maiden victory in Miami last year.



Turrini wrote, “As usual… Blando at the start,” awarding the Briton eight marks out of ten but chastising his getaway alongside Max Verstappen in Florida.



The remark has circulated quickly through Italian and British media, setting the tone for a race weekend where grid launches are pivotal.







Form Versus Expectation



Norris entered 2025 touted as a legitimate title contender after pushing Verstappen throughout 2024.



Yet a messy opening lap in Miami consigned him to sixth before he recovered to second, and critics argue those stumbles are now a pattern.



McLaren insiders counter that the 25-year-old has accumulated four podiums from six starts and remains firmly in championship contention.



Team principal Andrea Stella backed his lead driver, insisting the squad’s focus is on refining clutch bite and throttle maps rather than media narratives.



Schumacher’s Sharper Critique



Speaking on Sky Sports F1 Germany’s podcast, former racer Ralf Schumacher was blunter.



“Norris simply lacks that, and he won’t learn it,” he said of the Briton’s launch technique.



“He’s missing the basics of overtaking. You actually learn that in karts, so he should be able to do it.”



The German added that extended time spent fighting through midfield traffic “isn’t how he’ll become world champion.”



Why Starts Matter at Imola



Unlike Miami, Imola offers few high-speed passing zones once the lights go out.



With only two legitimate overtaking spots at Tamburello and Rivazza, a sluggish start can lock a driver behind slower cars for the entire 63-lap distance.



McLaren engineers have scheduled extra practice-start runs during Friday sessions to address what they label “launch consistency,” not outright pace.



Psychological Layer



Norris admitted last season that the “No-Wins” tag stung enough for him to print it on commemorative merchandise after breaking through in Miami.



Sources close to the driver say the new nickname is being treated as “white noise,” but sports psychologists warn playful jabs can creep into self-talk.



Performance coach Jon Pipes, who has worked with tennis major winners, noted that repetition of a negative identity can “become a self-fulfilling prophecy if unchecked.”



Championship Picture



Norris sits second in the standings, 16 points adrift of McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri and 14 ahead of Verstappen, whose Red Bull has looked faster over a single lap but inconsistent on Sundays.



A strong launch in Italy could narrow the gap before the calendar shifts to Monaco—another circuit where track position reigns supreme.



Conversely, another sluggish getaway would reinforce the “Blando” narrative and amplify pressure heading into a high-profile European swing.



What to Watch



All eyes will be on Norris’s reaction time when the five red lights extinguish at Imola.



McLaren’s data suggests a gain of just 0.12 seconds off the line could translate to holding track position through Tamburello.



That margin may separate a momentum-building win from a fresh round of Monday-morning headlines.
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