Jeff Pappone is one of Canada’s most respected motorsports journalists, with more than 25 years of experience covering the sport across print, digital, radio, and television. His work has appeared in the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Montreal Gazette, Ottawa Citizen, and Inside Track Motorsport News, and several magazines and newspapers outside Canada.

He began his career as a business and technology reporter with the Ottawa Citizen, where he also wrote a weekly column on real estate and consumer issues. That grounding in analytical reporting shaped his distinctive approach to motorsport journalism, where he combines technical understanding with sharp storytelling and historical context.

Pappone spent 13 years covering top tier racing series for the Globe and Mail, including Formula One, IndyCar and NASCAR as well as finding out-of-the-way stories, such as drag racing on the small Caribbean Island of Curacao. During his career, Pappone also made a point to focus his coverage on Canadians and worked hard to give young drivers exposure during their critical years in feeder series, including Scott Hargrove, Cameron Hayley, James Hinchcliffe, Nicholas Latifi, Andrew Ranger, Zach Robichon, and Robert Wickens. He hopes that his work to promote young drivers made the difference for some, or at least made the road a bit easier to travel.

He now contributes to the Toronto Star’s automotive section, crafting stories about racing and its personalities that engage both dedicated fans and general readers. He continues to write for Inside Track Motorsport News as its Formula One correspondent.

His commentary has been featured on both radio and television, where he is known for his clarity, accuracy, and ability to explain complex racing dynamics to a broad audience. Appearances include segments on CBC Newsworld, CTV News Network, TSN Radio and CBC Radio. He also contributed to the 2005 Champ Car Yearbook and 2006 Champ Car Yearbook. Most radio recent clip: https://www.tsn.ca/radio/montreal-690/pappone-hamilton-isn-t-used-to-the-ferrari-yet-1.2346419

Career Reflections

Covering the six-car United States Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2005 certainly ranks as the most bizarre race Pappone witnessed in his professional career, distinctly recalling the smell the beer on winner Michael Schumacher’s overalls after angry fans tossed cans of suds at the cars as they drove the circuit. A few interviews stand out: chatting with Canadian F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve about his father Gilles, speaking with three-times world champion Niki Lauda about his involvement in the movie Rush, interviewing three-times world champion Jackie Steward about his autobiography Winning is Not Enough, laughing with Hollywood star Paul Newman about the best actor he ever worked with, a guy named Nigel Mansell, and finally, enjoying a lively session with the usually reticent Kimi Räikkönen about his off track activities.

His best “fan” memory is standing at Tabac corner at the 2004 Monaco Grand Prix with his camera on the top of the ARMCO barrier trying to get a longer exposure wide-angle shot of the cars going past and feeling the breeze off their wings as they sped past.

Sadly, Pappone cannot point to one low point in his 25 years covering racing after losing several close friends and colleagues in various paddocks over the years, including Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame inductees Dean McNulty, Gerry Donaldson, Norris McDonald, and Graham Jones, U.S journalist Robin Miller, public relations people T.E McHale and Jon Edwards, former Champ Car Series and IndyCar team owner Kevin Kalkhoven, IndyCar and F1 racer Justin Wilson, and Jeremy “Papa” Hinchcliffe, to name a few.