Journalist Gerald Donaldson covered the exploits of Gilles Villeneuve and other F1 stars

Gerald Donaldson was part of an exclusive journalistic group, the writers who cover Formula One, the top tier of world motor racing. Each year, they would write stories about the 24 Grand Prix races held on tracks ranging from the tight city streets of Monaco to the old Expo 67 grounds in Montreal, the one Canadian F1 race.

Mr. Donaldson, who died in Toronto on Dec. 14 at age 87, was the only regular Canadian F1 writer at the time in a field dominated by journalists from Britain and continental Europe, where the races are more popular. Along with chronicling the races, Mr. Donaldson profiled the racers, including Briton James Hunt and the Canadian racing superstar Gilles Villeneuve.