sport news The week Christian Horner will try to shut down the circus for good: Geri ... trends now

Barely a day seems to pass at the moment without F1 being on the front and back pages across the UK, as the Christian Horner saga continues to encapsulate the sporting world.

The Red Bull chief was cleared of allegations of 'coercive behaviour' towards a female colleague following an internal investigation last Wednesday, after news of the accusations broke on February 5.

However, less than 24 hours later, an anonymously emailed leak of 79 documents appearing to show Horner sending sexually suggestive messages to the female employee at the centre of the investigation circulated among the sport's key figures, adding further fuel to the fire.

The 50-year-old and his Spice Girl wife Geri Halliwell put on a show of unity ahead of the first race of the season in Bahrain last week after the popstar flew to the Gulf state to watch Max Verstappen begin his title defence.

However, the weekend was marred by continued speculation surrounding Horner and the allegations, while further pressure was poured on the Red Bull chief after he engaged in a furious mystery row with Verstappen's father, Jos.

Christian Horner continues to battle for his future following an internal probe into his conduct

Horner - wife of former spice girl Geri Halliwell - found out last Wednesday afternoon he had been cleared and that he would keep his £8million-a-year job leading Red Bull's F1 team

The allegations, which broke on February 5, have dominated F1 over the past month, and less than 24 hours after he was cleared an anonymous email leak put further pressure on Horner

It came after Mail Sport reported exclusively that Verstappen Snr believes that the champion constructor will 'explode' if Horner does not walk away from his role, while he also reportedly told friends that Verstappen Jnr could leave the team if Horner remains at Red Bull.

Despite the continued furore, Horner has remained resolute in his position that he is going nowhere, with the 50-year-old - who earns £8million a year - outlining his stance after Verstappen's victory in Bahrain.

'I am not going to comment on the motives whatever person may have for doing this,' he said.

'Absolutely (I'll be in Saudi Arabia next week and in my role for the rest of the season). I've always been confident I'll be here.'

Despite his determination to remain in post, it hasn't lessened the speculation surrounding his position, with reports breaking on Tuesday that Horner wasn't invited to Verstappen Snr's birthday party in Dubai yesterday, amid a souring of their relationship.

Meanwhile, on Monday, fresh allegations were published in a bombshell 19-page investigation in BusinessF1 Magazine that named Horner's accuser, although sources close to the Red Bull chief deny these claims, insisting they are 'full of inaccuracies'.

It was also revealed that Verstappen has an astonishing break clause in his contract that allows him to walk out of Red Bull if his ally Dr Helmut Marko leaves the team.

Marko, an 80-year-old Austrian, is the company’s motorsport adviser. Triple world champion Verstappen fought for him when there moves afoot to shuffle him out of the door last year – manoeuvrings for which Horner was held responsible. It is understood there is still a wedge between the two sides dating back to this dispute.

However, Horner fights on and after Red Bull came first and second with Verstappen and Sergio Perez respectively in Bahrain, he will hope his team backs this up again in Saudi Arabia this coming weekend.