Alpine drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly have yet to score points as a late car concept change has seen the Enstone squad make a sideways step while its midfield rivals all made significant gains compared to last year.
Initial upgrades brought at the Japanese Grand Prix appeared to give a glimmer of hope, with Ocon advancing to Q2 to qualify 13th, but both he and Gasly were powerless to fight for points, their woes compounded by picking up early damage.
Alpine says it has now managed to bring an upgrade package meant for May's Miami Grand Prix forward by one round, with one of its A524 cars benefitting from the new suite of parts.
The team has confirmed to Autosport that the upgrade consists of a revised floor that will be installed on Ocon's car.
Both drivers are set to run the new specification from Miami onwards, with Gasly receiving priority on the next occasion where just one package is available.
"The last race in Japan underlined how big a challenge we have on our hands to improve our performance level," said team boss Bruno Famin.
"We must develop the performance of the car in order to fight for higher positions. While it was good to bring the first updates to the car in Suzuka, we must do more.
"The team has been working extremely hard and we have been able to bring an upgrade to one car this weekend, one race earlier than planned."
Source: Autosport