Honda F1 chief Shintaro Orihara has tempered expectations for Aston Martin at the upcoming Miami Grand Prix, admitting that the team is not anticipating significant performance improvements despite efforts to resolve persistent power unit issues.
The Silverstone-based squad has endured a difficult start to the 2026 season, having joined forces with engine partner Honda for the first time. After three rounds, Aston Martin remains at the bottom of the world championship standings with zero points, level with new entrants Cadillac. More concerning than their points tally, however, are the severe vibrations experienced by drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll in the AMR26 car.
Team principal Adrian Newey revealed before the season that both drivers were worried about the risk of permanent nerve damage to their hands and feet. Alonso, who retired from the Chinese Grand Prix, admitted he was “starting to lose feeling in his hands and feet.” The five-week spring break provided an opportunity for Honda and Aston Martin to address these issues, but Orihara stressed the need for realism ahead of round four in Miami.
“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,” said Orihara, Honda’s trackside general manager and chief engineer. “After that race, we took the opportunity to keep one of the AMR26 cars on site for further static testing in Sakura for the first time, focusing our efforts on reducing the vibrations and thus increasing reliability.
“We have made some progress, allowing us to implement further countermeasures in Miami and later in the season. 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.”
Despite the lack of optimism regarding the car’s performance, 44-year-old Alonso indicated during the break that he is keen to continue racing in Formula 1 beyond this season. “I love what I do, I love racing,” he told the Monaco Historic Grand Prix’s official TV channel. “I did my first race when I was three years old, and I am 44, so 41 years of my life I have been behind a steering wheel.
“So the moment I have to stop racing, it will be a very hard decision and difficult to accept. The time will tell. I will feel it. At the moment, I don't feel it is that time yet. I feel competitive, I feel motivated, I feel happy when I drive. So, yeah, hopefully not the last season.”
