G’day — buongiorno — my name’s Michael Lamonato, and I’m a motorsport journalist, producer and digital presenter with a background in radio and print journalism. Let me tell you, dear reader or SEO bot, a little more about myself
Maybe you’re here because you found my name in the digital pages of Fox Sports Australia, where I’ve been scribbling about Formula 1, along with Supercars and previously MotoGP, since 2022 as the popularity of F1 in particular boomed Down Under.
Or possibly you’ve been keeping up with the twists and turns of every Formula 1 practice session, qualifying hour and race through my reports for Racer.
Writing and editing are my bread and butter — bread baked and butter churned (?) cutting my teeth opining and subediting for the Roar in its prime, work eventually converted into writing features for the official program of the Australian Grand Prix.
Perhaps, alternatively, you’re a long-time listener of Box of Neutrals, quite possibly Australia’s longest-running Formula 1 podcast. Launched with my co-presenters Rob James and (the elusive) Peter McGinley in 2010, we took what was originally a community radio show to a national audience with ABC Grandstand. It continues as an independent podcast today.
My career is filled with podcasts aplenty. You can also hear me on the Fox Sports motorsport podcast Pit Talk, where I dissect weekly the goings-on in Formula 1 and other motorsport series with long-time co-host Matt Clayton, together with whom I also presented In the Fast Lane, the former official podcast of the Australian Grand Prix.
For around a decade I was also the host of the Strategy Report, a race-by-race analysis of grand prix tactics and, often, Ferrari errors. The Strategy Report featured countless high-profile guests before wrapping up at the end of the 2024 season.
The Strategy Report spawned the daily podcast Pit Pass F1 in 2023, a three-year experiment I anchored and produced with a variety of hosts, including Chris Medland, Julianne Cerasoli, Luke Smith and Diego Mejia.
Much of this work yapping about cars stems from a history of radio work, having fulfilled roles panel operating, producing and presenting in metro and national markets. I was ABC Grandstand’s go-to fill-in Breakfast announcer (when it was still around) and presented the ABC’s Commonwealth Games breakfast show in 2014.
From subediting to audio editing, proofreading to analysing, I have a track record of both knowing what these words mean and fulfilling their definitions.
If you want to know more or you just want to get in touch — compliments and limited criticism welcome — I’m contactable via email, Twitter (or whatever it’s called), LinkedIn or a loud conversation on the Belgrave-Lilydale line.