Known for his eloquence and professionalism, Pierre Houde has become one of Canada’s most respected broadcasters, with over three decades of being the French-language voice for Formula 1 on Canadian TV. Houde found his passion for motorsports in 1982, when he was the program director for radio stations CKVL and CKOI; he became captivated during a Canadian GP promotional press conference featuring Gilles Villeneuve. Two years later, he started working for the F1 event, helping build its public address announcer program.

Houde became the Canadian GP’s announcer, alongside Jacques Duval, before being appointed Deputy General Manager of the event, alongside Suzane Payne, in 1985. He took over the race’s General Manager role the following year. In 1988, he reported on F1 and IndyCar races on Radio-Canada, before serving as a pit reporter at the 1989 Canadian GP. That same year, he joined the broadcast team for IndyCar and Formula Atlantic races on RDS.

Houde became RDS’ play-by-play announcer for F1 races when the network acquired the series’ broadcast rights in 1993, beginning his decades-long run with analyst Bertrand Houle. He was behind the mic for a span of memorable F1 seasons, which included Canadian Jacques Villeneuve winning the 1997 championship, Michael Schumacher winning his seven titles, and recent dominant stretches by Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. His work did not go unnoticed, winning an Immortal Award, alongside Houle and Christian Tortora, from the Prix Gémeaux/Gemini Awards, a recognition they received for having won three awards in the Animation category between 1995 and 2001.

Houde and Houle have become one of the more recognizable broadcast announce teams on French-language TV in Canada, calling nearly 1,500 motorsport events over the span of roughly 35 years, across Formula One, IndyCar, Formula E and Formula Atlantic. With this prominent role, the two have become ambassadors for French-language motor racing coverage.