The world of motor sport journalism has lost one of its most respected voices with the death of Gerald Donaldson at the age of 87. The Canadian writer and broadcaster, celebrated for his insightful biographies of racing legends and a career spanning decades, passed away on 14 December 2025.
A Trusted Confidant to Racing's Greats
Donaldson's legacy is perhaps best defined by the extraordinary trust placed in him by the sport's most complex figures. When the late, great Ayrton Senna chose to articulate the profound, almost spiritual experience of driving at the limit, it was Donaldson he confided in. In a remarkable conversation, Senna described the sensation of driving a perfect qualifying lap at Monaco in 1988, a moment where he felt he transcended conscious control. "I suddenly realised that I was no longer driving the car consciously," Senna revealed, adding that the subsequent awakening from this trance-like state profoundly frightened him.
Donaldson, a sympathetic and intelligent listener, was prized by drivers for his refusal to sensationalise or distort their words. He built his reputation on this integrity, observing Formula One for major daily newspapers, national TV, and radio stations. His standout memory from the paddock was witnessing Senna's masterful first lap at the rain-soaked 1993 European Grand Prix at Donington Park, where the Brazilian overtook five cars to take a lead he never surrendered.
From Adventurer to Authoritative Voice
Donaldson's path to the press box was unconventional. Born in Almonte, Ontario, on 18 July 1938, he left high school at 16 for a life of adventure, hitchhiking across Canada and taking manual jobs. He later refined his talents at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto, funding his studies through work as a male model. A desire to write a novel took him to an artists' colony in Mexico and later to the south of France, where he rented a house once owned by Edith Piaf.
After a successful career in advertising, he heeded advice to focus on non-fiction. His motor sport passion, ignited by seeing Stirling Moss win at Mosport Park in 1961, eventually became his profession. By the late 1980s, he was a full-time journalist, covering Formula One for outlets like the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star, and broadcasting for CBC and CTV.
Classic Biographies and a Beloved Cotswolds Retreat
Donaldson channeled his deep understanding of the human condition into a series of definitive driver biographies. His works on the ill-fated Gilles Villeneuve (1989), the charismatic James Hunt (1994), and the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio (2003) are considered classics. He regarded Fangio, the five-time champion, as the greatest driver of all. His 1990 book, Grand Prix People, offered an unparalleled mosaic of the F1 world through interviews with over 100 paddock personalities.
Away from the roar of engines, Donaldson was a man of diverse passions. He built a remote cabin in Ontario's Pakenham mountains with his brother Gordon, retreating there for solitude amidst nature. A devoted Anglophile, he and his second wife, artist Diane Fine, spent each summer in Chipping Campden in the Cotswolds. It was there, at the Eight Bells Inn in 2015, that he was photographed signing posters at a motor sport memorabilia auction—a testament to his enduring connection to the racing community and the UK.
In the press room, he was a quiet, congenial, and universally respected presence, always willing to share his knowledge with newcomers. Gerald Donaldson is survived by his wife, Diane, and his brother, Gordon, leaving behind a body of work that continues to define the art of motor racing biography.
