The film opens with Martin Brundle’s crash at the 1996 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, where he was cleared by Sid Watkins and returned to race in a spare car. The film then looks at the origins of Formula One in the 1950s, essentially a resumption of prewar Grand Prix racing. In 1958, the FIA introduced the Formula One World Constructors' Championship, leading to a surge of British privateer teams, nicknamed "Garagistas" by Enzo Ferrari, including Team Lotus, led by Colin Chapman.
In 1966, the engine size was doubled to 3 liters, increasing speeds on tracks largely unchanged since before World War II. This resulted in several fatal accidents. The death of Jim Clark at the Hockenheimring in 1968 was a turning point, prompting drivers like Jochen Rindt and the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) to question the sport’s safety. Rindt was killed during practice at the 1970 Italian Grand Prix and was posthumously awarded the driver’s championship that year.
Jackie Stewart, a three-time champion and Chairman of the GPDA, used his position to push for improved safety and track facilities, including safety barriers and mandatory seat belts. This caused opposition with other drivers, including Jacky Ickx, but Stewart’s influence led to boycotts, including the 1971 Belgian Grand Prix. Despite these efforts, drivers continued to die, including Stewart’s teammate, François Cevert, at the 1973 United States Grand Prix.
The film also details the entry of new drivers and teams, such as Hesketh Racing, which entered Formula One in 1973 and won the 1975 Dutch Grand Prix with James Hunt, ahead of Ferrari's Niki Lauda. Hunt later moved to McLaren, becoming a favorite to win the 1976 Championship alongside Lauda.
Bernie Ecclestone hired Professor Sid Watkins as the official Formula One 'race doctor' in 1978. Initially distrusted, Watkins’ influence increased after the death of Ronnie Peterson at the 1978 Italian Grand Prix, where Italian officials prevented him from treating Peterson at the scene.
Following Peterson’s accident, Formula One remained relatively fatality free until the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, where Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna died in separate accidents. In the aftermath, Max Mosley formed the Advisory Expert Group, chaired by Sid Watkins, to improve safety in motor racing. As a result of the changes implemented by this Group, Formula One did not experience a driver fatality until 2015, when Jules Bianchi succumbed to a head injury nine months after a crash during the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.
The idea for 1 originated with Jonathan Bracey-Gibbon, who developed the script with Michael Shevloff. Production began in 2008, and interviews were completed in 2010 and 2011. The documentary features interviews with champions Mario Andretti, Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton, Damon Hill, Jacky Ickx, Niki Lauda, Nigel Mansell, Michael Schumacher, Jackie Stewart, and Sebastian Vettel, as well as Bernie Ecclestone, Max Mosley, and Sid Watkins.
1 premiered on January 10, 2014, at the Empire, Leicester Square in London, United Kingdom. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United States and Canada on January 28, 2014, and in the United Kingdom on March 17. The Australian Blu-ray release was bundled with Rush.
Mike McCahill of The Guardian gave the documentary 4 stars out of 5, stating it found its “narrative impetus in the trade-off between crowd pleasing speed and concern for driver survival.” Mark Kermode of The Guardian found the mixture of archive footage and interviews “gripping.” Daniel Johnson of The Telegraph considered the film a “compelling” depiction, noting that Formula One racing became “high-stakes theatre” in the fifteen years following 1967, a period in which 19 drivers died. Charlotte O'Sullivan of the London Evening Standard described the movie as “pure bliss for Formula 1 fans.” Reviewers lauded Ecclestone and Mosley for their “genuine determination” and roles as “self-styled guardian angels.”
Kermode noted the film’s timing, opening after Senna (2010) and Rush (2013), and praised it for complementing both. The archival footage was described as “moving” and “smartly marshalled.” Fassbender’s narration was described as both “sonorous” and “laconic.” The film graphically documents the improvement of safety in the sport.