Before Netflix's 'Drive to Survive' Here's One Formula 1 Documentary You Probably Missed

Before the global success of Netflix’s Drive to Survive, there was one Formula 1 documentary that was gripping audiences like a Pirelli soft tyre through the chicane, exploring the sport’s ‘Golden Era’ with some of the legends of the past. This is the story of 1: Life on the Limit.

Over the last five or so years, the high-octane action of Formula 1 has seen something of a renaissance over the world. As more and more young fans are discovering the sport, thanks in part to Liberty Media’s overarching strategy to increase viewership to make F1 one of the biggest sports in the world, the global appeal of F1, it seems, has never been higher.

Of course, the sport has always had high-stakes stories to tell. Centred around some of the most charismatic drivers Formula 1 has seen, it’s only recently, through docuseries such as Drive to Survive that fans are seeing the starting twenty on the grid in a completely new way – a peak behind the curtain that was previously concealed.

It’s led to a record three North American Grand Prix for the first time in history, with the popularity of the sport reaching unprecedented levels across the U.S. The inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix undoubtedly set the standard for a modern motorsport weekend.

But before all this hype and hysteria in narratives involving Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri, there were other heroes to cheer for; other drivers to idolise, and their legendary drives that are immortalised through the sport’s Golden Era.

Narrated by part-time Hollywood star, Michael Fassbender, whose passion for driving turned into a fully-fledged career in motor racing competing as recently as the legendary 24 hours in Le Mans (although he crashed three times), 1: Life on the Limit tells of the sport’s Golden Era and the legendary moments that defined a generation of drivers.

WATCH The 1: Life on the Limit trailer below.

With in-depth interviews with seven-time F1 World Champion Michael Schumacher, Niki Lauda and his eternal rival James Hunt, Mario Andretti, Jenson Button and a very young Lewis Hamilton, 1 details the inherent dangers that these drivers encounter every time they take to the track.

From the earlier days of racing when health and safety standards were perhaps lacking compared to modern practices, 1 brings audiences on a journey of the sport, through arguably the most glamourous era in Formula 1 history when drivers risked it all for glory.