Geri Halliwell ‘demands husband Christian Horner cuts ties’ with female colleague he was accused of sending racy messages to – as she lays ‘strict ground rules’ for Red Bull boss after he was cleared of improper behaviour

Geri Halliwell has demanded her husband Christian Horner cut ties with the female colleague he is accused of sending racy messages to, sources claimed last night.

The former Spice Girl, who has firmly supported her embattled partner so far, is said to have set ‘strict ground rules’ for the Red Bull boss after he was cleared of inappropriate behaviour.

Halliwell, 51, is said to have ‘read her husband the riot act’ before performing a show of unity with him in front of the cameras at the Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday, including kissing him before Max Verstappen claimed victory for Red Bull.

Although Verstappen and Sergio Perez starred in a sensational one-two finish in Bahrain, the spotlight remains on Horner, who faces fresh calls to resign amid the massive text messages leaked.

Horner, 50, had been cleared to continue as Red Bull team boss on Wednesday following an internal investigation, but 24 hours later flirty texts allegedly exchanged between him and the female complainant were leaked to 149 F1 figures.

While Ginger Spice may have stood by her husband this weekend in solidarity, insiders say the pop star wants the female employee “out of the picture.”

A source said The sun: ‘Although she smiled for the cameras during the Grand Prix, Geri has set some strict ground rules.

‘One of these is that Christian breaks or reduces contact with the woman, but that is difficult because of her role at Red Bull.

“And she’s certainly had her say about the messages he’s sending. For obvious reasons, Geri wants to keep the female colleague – who she knew before her appointment – ​​out of the picture as much as possible.’

The source added that Red Bull cannot fire the woman because there is no basis for doing so.

An F1 insider also told the publication that Halliwell, who shares seven-year-old Monty with Horner, had shown ‘nothing but support’ to her husband but is unlikely to be at the Saudi Grand Prix next weekend , because she is ‘incredibly busy’. ‘.

Horner is facing calls to step down from his role and has been accused by Verstappen’s father Jos of ‘tearing the team apart’.

Verstappen Snr, who manages his world champion son Max, told Mail Sport in Bahrain: ‘There is tension here as he stays in position. The team is in danger of falling apart. It cannot continue as it is. It will explode. He plays the victim, while he is the one causing the problems.’

In further comments to The Telegraph, he said: ‘It can’t go on like this. The situation is not good for the team and is driving people apart.’

But a Red Bull spokesman said: ‘There are no problems here. The team is united and we are focused on racing.”

Horner, meanwhile, has said he ‘absolutely’ expects to remain in charge at Red Bull for next week’s Grand Prix.

The Red Bull chief told Sky Sports that he ‘wouldn’t be here otherwise’ if he thought he was about to lose control of the F1 team.

He said: ‘We have great support, great partners and also great shareholders behind us.

“You can’t achieve these kinds of results by not being united.”

Asked if he still expects to be in the lead by the time the race starts in Jeddah next week, he said: “Yes, absolutely. Otherwise I wouldn’t be here.’

Before the race, Horner and his wife, whom he has been married to since 2015, were spotted in a public display of unity.

Horner had slipped out the back of Red Bull’s hospitality suite through a gate to meet her as she arrived at the main entrance to the paddock.

They held hands as they walked through the paddock to Red Bull’s hospitality suite. During the short walk they were harassed by photographers and TV crews.

The couple were all smiles at lunch, where they were later joined by Red Bull’s head of communications and former F1 team boss Flavio Briatore and Red Bull’s majority shareholder, and Horner ally, Thai billionaire Chalerm Yoovidhya.

Horner left for the race grid about 45 minutes before the 3pm start and gave Geri a kiss as he left.

Sources told The Sun that the former Spice Girls singer is ‘furious’ with her husband but has not ‘gone nuclear’.

Friends of Halliwell previously told the publication that she had read him “the riot act” over the situation.

Horner, who has always denied the claims, previously said: “I have the support of a great family, a great wife, a great team and everyone within that team.

‘And my focus is on racing, winning races and doing the best I can.

‘It was a day where we had to start the season in the best possible way. My focus is on this team, my family, my wife and racing.”

The WhatsApp messages were sent from an anonymous email account to 149 members of the F1 paddock – including the chairman of the sport’s governing body Mohammed ben Sulayem, F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali and the nine other grid team leaders, as well as members of the media. .

The bombshell email contained 79 documents, including hundreds of messages, many of which were of a sexual nature.

Horner continues to operate in his role as team principal and general manager, although it is understood there is significant disquiet among the team’s plethora of sponsors and partners.

He spoke about the latest allegations only once as he walked from Red Bull’s hospitality suite to the team’s garage on Friday.

“I’m not going to comment on anonymous speculation from unknown sources,” he said.

When asked what comes next, Horner replied: “We’re going to race.”

MailOnline has contacted Halliwell representatives for comment.