Not to stereotype Italians, but Paul Lanuto has always been a lover of Ferrari. And for as long as he can remember, Paul has enjoyed finding out how mechanical things work, so a career as an automotive mechanic made perfect sense.
“Since I was a young kid I liked to pull things apart and put them back together and make them work again. I was always hands on with toys or something I could grab and pull apart and put back together just to see how it worked,” he explains. “And then I found my way into mechanics, and then from mechanics I went into aircraft engineering and did 15 years over at Qantas. I then decided to leave and open my own [automotive] shop.”
Paul has been in the automotive business for more than 25 years now. His current venture, F1 Automotive Repairs in Brighton Le Sands, specialises in European cars and offers quality workmanship at competitive prices. The name, of course, comes from his love of F1 racing, as well as Indy Cars, and his long-held fascination with what goes on in the pits. “The name kind of stuck, and people like the name, too. I was just fortunate no one else took the name. From there, I’ve built the brand up.”
A lot of cars pass through Paul’s garage and he’s seen under many a bonnet, and with a quarter-century of knowledge under his belt, customers can rest assured he knows what he’s doing. “All engines are pretty much the same, but the way cars are changing with the technology we have now — electric and hybrid cars — it’s not really a challenge; I just get my head around it. We do our best to help our customers with what their issues are in whatever car it is. For me it’s not really a massive challenge. If I don’t know, I’ll find out. I’ll make sure the customer is still going to be safe on the road and keep them going — that’s the name of the game.”
And Paul’s simple advice for keeping your car — any make or model — on the road: look after your car and do the services on time. “I get a lot of repeat customers who do services. Do your services on time and we’ll always pick up things before they happen.”
273 Bay St, Brighton Le Sands
Mobile: 0422 959 363
Insta: @f1automotiverepairs
Website coming soon
