Carlos Sainz snr will not accept any criticism of Red Bull because of its protective attitude towards the rally legend's son.
Sainz Jr enjoyed a steady 2016 campaign with Toro Rosso, but admitted to have been a bit rattled by Max Verstappen's promotion early on in the season to Red Bull Racing.
Red Bull also made clear to both Renault and Mercedes that it had no intention of releasing the Spaniard from his ongoing Formula 1 contract, thus crushing any preliminary talks that had taken place with the respective teams.
"We are talking like they (Red Bull) are the bad guys and it's nothing like that," the 54-year-old told Spanish radio Cadena Ser.
"We owe them a lot. The most important thing is to focus on 2017," Sainz snr added, referring to his son's forthcoming third consecutive campaign for Toro Rosso.
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