P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has clarified what he meant by recent comments suggesting next year’s Formula 1 cars could top 400km/h on the straights
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff clarified his recent comments about Formula 1 cars potentially reaching speeds exceeding 400km/h on straights due to increased electrical energy for the new rules era. This claim raised concerns among rival teams who doubted the feasibility of such speeds in simulations. Alpine driver Pierre Gasly expressed skepticism, stating that he believes only what he sees and has not experienced such speeds in his team’s simulations. Williams and Carlos Sainz also refuted the claims, indicating that their simulations did not come close to reaching 400km/h. Wolff later explained that the 400km/h figure was more theoretical and not necessarily achievable in reality due to restrictions on power deployment and energy management on the track imposed by the FIA. These regulations aim to prevent dramatic speed differentials and ensure energy deployment is consistent over the race.
