Red Bull are ready to let Max Verstappen go if they are forced to choose between the three-time world champion and embattled team boss Christian Horner.

That is the astonishing view from inside the troubled Formula 1 team. Horner, husband of Spice Girl Geri, has spent the last six weeks fighting for his future, but it now appears that the mood at Red Bull HQ has swung in his favour.

Horner was accused of inappropriate behaviour towards a female colleague. The 50-year-old was cleared of inappropriate behaviour by a Red Bull investigation, but that is not the end of the matter.

She feels so aggrieved by the way the company has treated her that she has now appointed a new lawyer and is appealing against the outcome of the investigation, which was carried out by an external and impartial KC whose identity has not been made public.

The parent company have suspended the woman, although they insist it is not for raising the complaint, but for concerns over the veracity over the evidence she presented. Meanwhile Horner is still working and preparing for the Australian Grand Prix.

The mess came to a head in Bahrain a fortnight ago. Verstappen's father Jos publicly called for Horner's exit, while long-serving team adviser Helmut Marko also wants the Briton gone as his relationship with Horner has disintegrated.

For a while, it was believed that they had the backing of Red Bull chiefs in Austria, while Thai majority owner Chalerm Yoodivhya was protecting Horner. But we understand that the team principal now also has the backing of the other shareholders of the company following the outcome of the investigation.

That includes Austrian CEOs Franz Watzlawick, who runs the core energy drinks business, and Oliver Mintzlaff who is in charge of corporate projects, such as their F1 teams. And so strong is their support that, should it come to a situation where they feel forced to pick between Verstappen and Horner, they are ready to call the Dutchman's bluff.

Sources say the driver's manager Raymond Vermeulen has already been informed that the company is ready to drive it if it comes to it. And Marko has worked hard to create a situation where that might be necessary.

We understand the 80-year-old adviser, acting as a director of the company, late last year worked to have an 'escape clause' inserted into Verstappen's deal which would release the racer from his contract if Marko leaves. It was supposedly done without the knowledge of anyone working for either the race team or the parent company, including Horner.