What if 2026 F1 Cars Had a V10 Engine?

Colapinto hit 352 km/h in the Chinese GP... on ICE power alone (~580 hp), since ERS deployment must drop linearly to 0 kW at exactly 352 km/h!

What if he'd had a V10 Mercedes engine? 🤔

The 2005 McL-Mercedes hit 'just' 340 km/h in China under slipstream despite ~930 hp, but 2026 cars have FAR less drag thanks to active aero.

With the same slipstream and a long enough straight, a V10-powered 2026 car could have reached ~410 km/h!

352 km/h × (930 hp / 580 hp)^(1/3) = 411 km/h
[Drag POWER scales with the CUBE of speed.]

If F1 moves to ~3000cc N/A engines for 2030, active aero will likely be dropped — otherwise top speeds would become crazy!