Toto Wolff doubles down on insane Mercedes F1 engine claim

Mercedes F1 team principal Toto Wolff has doubled down on a claim that 2026 power units could make F1 cars reach top speeds of 400kph, but has suggested that teams won't utilise this due to needing energy for the next straight at a track.

2026 is seeing a plethora of regulation changes sweeping into the sport, including on the power unit side of things, where an increase in the reliance on electrical energy is taking place.

The power units will also be able to be run entirely on sustainable fuels, as F1 looks to the future and their 2030 Net Zero goal.

Mercedes are understood to be best placed to master these new engine regulations, and they will be supplying three other teams on the grid - McLaren, Williams and Alpine.

The new power units will remain a 1.6-litre V6 turbo hybrid, but the internal combustion engine output has been cut and electrical power tripled, basically meaning there is now a 50-50 split between the two power sources.

The car’s Energy Recovery System (ERS) can now recharge the battery with twice as much energy per lap, as F1 says goodbye to the MGU-H.

And this increased ERS capacity, as well as a new 'overtake mode' which is replacing DRS, led Wolff to say earlier this year that we could see F1 cars reach over 400kph for the first time, and he has now doubled down on that claim.

Wolff has said that he initially said that to boost the excitement for the new power units, but that he believes it to be a genuine possibility, even if it would mean not optimising speed over the whole lap.

"Well, I felt like we needed to give that engine a little bit of a marketing boost, because people were talking it down and it's such an amazing piece of kit," Wolff told the Beyond The Grid podcast.

"If you put it all together, we could do 400km/h or maybe even exceed it, but obviously you're going to run out of energy for the next straight and then not be quick enough."

F1 introduce new aero rules

As well as the changing power units, F1 are also making lots of changes to car chassis in 2026, with new aero rules, and smaller, more nimble racing cars.

F1's smaller cars are aimed at creating more exciting racing, particularly at narrow tracks on the circuit such as the Monaco Grand Prix.

Cars will be lighter by 30kg in 2026, the wheelbase will be reduced by 20cm and the car width will be reduced by 10cm.

The maximum floor width will also be reduced by 15cm, while the width of the front tyres will be decreased by 2.5cm and the rears by 3cm. Pirelli and the F1 grid recently tested the new tyres on mule cars during the post-season tyre test in Abu Dhabi.

F1 front wings will be 10cm narrower and will feature a two element active flap. The rear wing will then have a three element flap and the lower beam wing has been removed.

The removal of this is key, to ensure that a following car will encounter less turbulence or 'dirty air', a major impediment to overtaking this past year.

In-washing wheel wake control boards will sit on the front of the side pods to assist with the control of the wheel wake - which also produces dirty or turbulent air. Therefore with better control, the aim is to make following easier and improve the overtaking spectacle.

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