Saward was educated at Haileybury College and read history at Bedford College, University of London. In 1984 he joined Autosport magazine in London, one of the leading English-language motorsport publications of the era. He began reporting on Formula One in 1988, working alongside established paddock journalist Nigel Roebuck, and served as Grand Prix Editor of Autosport until 1993.
After leaving Autosport, Saward wrote for F1 News magazine before establishing his own independent platforms. He created the JSBM Newsletter and later the Joeblogsf1 blog, which became a widely read source of Formula One paddock news and commentary. He subsequently co-developed GrandPrix+, an e-magazine, in partnership with David Tremayne. Saward has hosted both in-person and virtual audience sessions for Formula One fans, and has participated in podcast interviews including appearances on the Missed Apex podcast.
He previously served as a non-executive director on the board of Caterham Cars.
Saward has written and published several books under his own Morienval Press imprint. His most celebrated work is The Grand Prix Saboteurs (2006), which details the story of racing drivers who went on to establish a sabotage network in occupied France during World War II. The book earned Saward recognition from the Guild of Motoring Writers, who named him Renault UK Author of the Year. He also published The Man who Caught Crippen, a biography of his great-grandfather Henry George Kendall, who achieved fame for apprehending the murderer Dr. Crippen at sea. Additional works include four volumes of Fascinating F1 Facts (published between 2018 and 2023) and The World Atlas of Motor Racing.
On 26 September 2024, Saward published a regular Green Notebook blog post in which he reported a paddock rumour that Sergio Pérez would retire from Formula One after the 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix. The post drew a hostile response primarily from Pérez supporters on the X platform, some of which Saward described as containing death threats. On 2 October 2024, he published a blog response condemning the abuse and announced he would restrict access to his X posts to approved followers only.
Saward is the son of Canon Michael Saward, a Church of England clergyman who died in 2015, and the brother of activist Jill Saward, who died in 2017. He lives in France.
Saward's unbroken attendance record at Formula One Grands Prix since 1988 and his permanent FIA paddock accreditation mark him as one of the most enduring independent voices in the sport. His combination of long-form journalism, newsletter publishing, e-magazine production, and book writing across four decades has made him a distinctive figure in English-language Formula One media.