Force India says its main priority until the introduction of its B-spec car in Austria is keeping pace with the cars around it.
Force India's 2015 car only hit the track midway through the final pre-season test this year and has failed to replicate its superb start to 2014. The team expects to unlock a significant amount of performance with a revised VJM08 in Austria but in the meantime team boss Vijay Mallya thinks the main focus has to be not falling away from its nearest rivals.
"Our pace has been improving with each race, but we will need to wait a little longer before we can make a big step," Mallya said. "I'm optimistic about the updates we have planned and we are working hard to get them to the track as soon as possible. The priority over the next few races is to stay in touch with the teams around us. As it stands, fourth place in the championship is just 12 points ahead of us, so we need to keep fighting hard and picking up points when we can."
Teams traditionally bring a raft of upgrades to the Spanish Grand Prix and Mallya thinks the closely-bunched midfield gives Force India a chance of a strong result in Barcelona.
"It's fair to say that we've had mixed fortunes during the opening four races. On the positive side, we've scored points in half the races and I've been impressed by the fighting spirit of the team. On the other hand, we know the VJM08 is not where we want it to be and that we need to work hard to unlock more of its potential.
"It's still early days in the season, but it's worth noting how closely-matched the midfield teams remain. There are times when we see up to ten cars within half a second of each other, which means that any improvements we can bring to the car will have a big impact on our results."