Renault Sport president Jerome Stoll said the French marque "knew" it could find itself in a difficult situation in 2019.
He said the works team made a conscious decision to push hard with aggressive development for the new season.
"We knew we were taking risks and we could face a situation like this," Stoll told Ouest France newspaper.
"It's not easy even for the big teams. Look at Ferrari. What is not acceptable is that the problems we have are repeated," he added.
Stoll said the good news is that Renault is happy with the drivers, even though Daniel Ricciardo's adjustment after years at Red Bull has not been smooth.
"Ricciardo is used to his old car," he said. "But he is progressing very well.
"Nico already knows how our car reacts, but in our strategy, these are the drivers we need."
However, Stoll played down the likelihood of a podium in 2019, calling a lucky top three result possible but regularly podiums "unlikely".
