Honda F1 chief Shintaro Orihara is urging caution ahead of this weekend's Miami Grand Prix, warning that Aston Martin fans shouldn't expect a dramatic turnaround just yet. After a rocky start to the 2026 season, the team's new partnership with Honda has been anything but smooth sailing.

Aston Martin finds itself anchored to the bottom of the constructors' standings, still searching for their first point after three rounds. They're tied on zero points with newcomers Cadillac, but the numbers only tell part of the story. The real concern lies beneath the surface—quite literally.

Drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll have been battling severe vibrations in the AMR26 car, a problem that goes far beyond discomfort. Team principal Adrian Newey revealed before the season that both drivers feared "permanent nerve damage" to their hands and feet. Alonso's retirement in China only underscored the severity, with the two-time world champion admitting he was "starting to lose feeling in his hands and feet."

The five-week spring break gave Honda and Aston Martin a crucial window to tackle these issues head-on. For the first time, the team kept one of their cars in Sakura for static testing, focusing entirely on reducing those violent vibrations. Orihara, Honda's trackside general manager and chief engineer, confirmed they've made some headway.

"The Japanese Grand Prix showed that the work is going in the right direction and helped us to find the motivation to keep pushing forward," Orihara said. "We have made some progress, allowing us to implement further countermeasures in Miami and later in the season."

But here's the reality check: don't expect fireworks on the track just yet. "Realistically, this progress will not have a visible impact on the power unit performance on track, so we shouldn't be expecting big jumps forward here," Orihara added.

Despite the struggles, there's a silver lining for Aston Martin fans. The 44-year-old Alonso, who has been racing since he was three years old, hinted during the break that he's not ready to hang up his helmet just yet. "I love what I do, I love racing," he said, signaling his desire to stay in Formula 1 beyond this season.

For now, though, Miami might be more about survival than celebration—but in the world of F1, every small step forward counts.