Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says he will encourage both his team and Renault to take risks this season because they "have nothing to lose".

Following 2014's second place in the constructors' championship, Red Bull finds itself fourth overall with 30 points after five races. Sitting 51 points adrift of third-placed Williams, Horner says the team will need to gamble with its car development because it is so uncompetitive at the moment.

"I think we are nowhere near winning a grand prix," Horner said. "We got lapped [in Barcelona]. Therefore, it is better to focus on getting performance because we are on the back foot anyway, we have nothing to lose by throwing caution to the wind.

"We are not in F1 to make up numbers, we want to compete at the front and if that means taking risks, that is our philosophy and that is what we encourage Renault to do as well."

Referencing Renault, Horner says an inability to heavily influence what the engine manufacturer can do is one of the most frustrating aspects of Red Bull's current position.

"We want to try and sort the issues out. It is not enjoyable being in a GP when you are just going round. The determination is to get back. The problem and frustration we have is not all of it is in our hands. We are relying on our partner and all we can do is support them as best we can to make the necessary steps."

Click here for a light-hearted look at some of the scenes from last weekend's Spanish Grand Prix

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.

Recent Posts

When angry Mansell advised journo 'to see a psychiatrist'

On this day in 1992, Nigel Mansell conquered his fourth consecutive win of the season…

22 mins ago

Leclerc: Adding Newey to Ferrari’s team 'would be amazing'

Charles Leclerc admits that adding Adrian Newey to Ferrari’s already “incredible” team would be “amazing”,…

2 hours ago

Sainz: Audi track record in motorsport ‘a very important asset’

Carlos Sainz admits that the Volkswagen group’s success in motorsport – be it with VW,…

3 hours ago

Ricciardo: No point in clearing air unless Stroll accepts blame

Daniel Ricciardo was expecting a ‘clear the air’ talk with Lance Stroll after the latter’s…

4 hours ago

Verstappen respects Newey's choice: 'Not dramatic' for Red Bull

Max Verstappen says he respects Adrian Newey’s decision to part ways with Red Bull but…

5 hours ago

Miami GP: Thursday's build-up in pictures

We’re on the eve of another adrenaline-pumping weekend of action in Florida, with Formula 1's…

16 hours ago