AlphaTauri are preparing for a fightback that they hope will align them with Haas, Alpine and Alfa Romeo at the front of F1's midfield battle.
The Red Bull sister team are currently seventh in the Constructors' standings after six races, with Yuki Tsunoda's seventh-placed finish at Imola their best result of the season so far.
Pierre Gasly, meanwhile, has struggled in recent weeks following three consecutive non-score finishes, and has failed to build on an impressive 2021 campaign.
Both drivers have explained that the team have been unable to get their car working how they would like, and the squad have also suffered early-season power issues.
"We are in a difficult situation right now," Tsunoda said, speaking to members of the media, including RacingNews365.com.
"Obviously, we want to fight at the top of the midfield, like how Haas and Alfa Romeo are fighting, but currently, we have this car and it is what it is.
"Until then, we're surviving and trying to score as many points as possible."
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AlphaTauri planning for updates
Updates are coming for AlphaTauri, the drivers have been told, but unlike in previous seasons, the team cannot bring experimental upgrades that risk failing.
Instead, due to the cost cap, they must ensure any updates deliver results, or risk spending limited cash without progress.
Despite a slow start to 2022, the outfit find themselves ahead of Haas in the standings, but 22 points down on Alfa Romeo.
"We don't want to have small updates, especially because we have the cost cap this year," explained Tsunoda.
"We cannot continue having updates and updates at every single race, or else you're going to run out of money.
"We'll prepare for the big updates and, hopefully, that will work as well. But until then, we just have to survive and score as many points as possible."
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