Toto Wolff explains F1 2026 car 400km/h claim that raised eyebrows

Toto Wolff has doubled down on his claim that F1’s new generation of cars could theoretically reach 400km/h on the straights in 2026.

The Mercedes boss raised eyebrows when he originally made the bold claim in an interview with German publication Auto Motor Und Sport over the summer break.

The highest speed recorded at a modern F1 event was when Valtteri Bottas hit 378km/h (234.9mph) in qualifying during the 2016 European Grand Prix at Baku.

F1’s new cars for 2026 are set to have an increase in electrical energy available thanks to the looming regulation overhaul.

Wolff has moved to explain his comments and insisted the top speed could be achieved, but only if all available power was deployed in one go.

“Well, I felt like we need 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.”

Mercedes High Performance Powertrains managing director Hywel Thomas, who joined Wolff as a guest on the podcast, added: “I think the start-of-straight performance is going to be very, very similar to today.

“We’ve got the turbocharger that hasn't got an electric machine on it anymore, so you could get some turbo lag. We'll be filling in that turbo lag with the electric, potentially.

“So, I think in terms of start-straight, the performance is going to be pretty epic in comparison to what we've got today. But we know we're going to start to derate earlier on the straight because we haven't got enough electrical energy to use it all the time.”

F1 2026 is one of the most eagerly-anticipated season in the sport’s 75-year history, with the biggest ever rules change set to shake-up the competitive order.

F1 revealed its simplified terminology for key 2026 rule elements on Wednesday, including the newly-named Overtake Mode, Boost Mode, Active Aero and Recharge.