Despite his move to Renault next season, Carlos Sainz will remain under Red Bull's control in the future, a state of affairs he understands and accepts.
Formula 1's recent complicated engine supplier maneuvers have resulted in a positive outcome for the Spanish driver who has been granted his wish to step up his career by joining a works outfit.
Racing in his third year with Toro Rosso, Sainz no longer considered himself a junior bull this season. But he also felt his career was stagnating with the Faenza-based outfit and expressed his desire to move on.
The 23-year-old's ambitions were kept under wraps however by Red Bull's Helmut Marko who reminded his driver over the summer, when tensions crept in, that he wasn't in control of his fate.
A suitable opportunity has emerged with Renault thanks to F1's convoluted engine supplier negotiations, and Sainz will race for the French team next season while retaining a contractual link to Red Bull, which he accepts.
"Without Red Bull I wouldn't have been able to take the step I've taken now in my career, going up to Renault," he told Motorsport.com.
"In a way I understand how they deal with you, you are actually in their hands, and I've been in their hands these last couple of months, and they've dealt with it perfectly.
"It's something to be very thankful about, and I've already expressed that to Helmut Marko."
Sainz denies he felt frustrated at Toro Rosso but believes his results warrant a move up the grid.
"I've never had frustration at Toro Rosso," he added.
"And I think my results this year prove it. A frustrated driver would never have done the results I've done this year.
"I was just ambitious, very ambitious I think, and Red Bull also wants to see ambition in their drivers, as they've seen with me.
"From that point onwards, after all the situation in June, I've left it up to Red Bull, and they've done exactly the best for themselves and for me.
"That's why I'm always going to be so thankful about it. They're happy, I'm happy, and I'm still a Red Bull guy."
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