14/09/2025 18:20
FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis has set the record
straight on a sensational claim made by Toto Wolff about the 2026
F1 power units. The Mercedes team principal recently told German
publication Auto, Motor und Sport that "when full power is
deployed, we'll be approaching the 400 km/h limit" in the new
generation of F1 cars. Unsurprisingly, his comments gained traction
in the F1 paddock, with drivers being asked for their view on a
potential significant increase in top speed, given that the current
cars are capable of around 370 km/h in a straight line. When asked
to further explain his remarks ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix, an
amused Wolff detailed how if all energy deployment were used at a
certain point, those speeds would be possible. "Sounds good, no?
Everybody's talking those engines down, so I had to figure out – is
there anything positive?" Wolff told media, including RacingNews365
. "And that is, if you were to deploy – obviously it sounds
sarcastic – but if you were to deploy all the energy on a single
straight, you could make those cars go 400 kilometres an hour. "I
don't know if somebody got afraid by it, but you could. But there
wouldn't be much electric energy left for the few other corners on
a circuit." A 'light-hearted comment' However, Tombazis has since
moved to dampen those expectations, insisting the FIA would not
allow speeds to reach that point, even if that were the case, which
he maintains is not. That fits with Max Verstappen's claim that the
motorsport governing body "won't allow it" when asked for his take
on Wolff's comments. Tombazis concurred with the four-time F1
drivers' champion's point, stating the FIA would "intervene" if it
felt necessary. "I can assure you there won't be speeds of
400km/h," he told PlanetF1 . "I think it was more of a
light-hearted comment, which, from what I heard, he meant to say
that, with the power the cars have and with the low resistance the
cars have, you could conceivably – if you combine everything
together – have cars going over that speed. "Now, the way all the
energy management regulations work, that is not possible,
physically or engineering-wise. We have quite a lot of control, as
FIA, on those regulations, and on top of that, we have a strong
card to play if necessary, and that is for safety reasons. "We
could intervene if there was anything, but we are quite confident
and quite sure that the regulations don't permit those sorts of
speeds. "It is the performance envelope of the car; if there were
no regulations on any management, that would allow such speeds."
