Ralf Schumacher has repeated his calls for Christian Horner to resign from his role at Red Bull.

Horner – who earns £8million a year as team principal – was the subject of an internal investigation last month after accusations of ‘coercive behaviour’ towards a female colleague were made against him, before he was cleared.

However, several messages that were alleged to be between Horner and his accuser were then leaked via anonymous email, adding further furore to the whole situation. The bombshell email – which was sent to leading F1 figures – contained 79 documents, including hundreds of messages, many of them of a sexual nature.

The Red Bull chief, husband of former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, denies all the allegations and has insisted he will stay in his role, but the whole saga has overshadowed the start of the F1 season. Jos Verstappen, father of Red Bull’s star driver Max, is among those who have called for Horner to go.

And Ralf Schumacher, younger brother of legendary seven-time world champion Michael, is another who has urged the 50-year-old to leave his role, and on Tuesday he doubled down on his opinion.

Ralf Schumacher has repeated his calls for Christian Horner to resign from his role at Red Bull

Horner – who is married to former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell – was the subject of an internal probe after allegations of ‘inappropriate behaviour’ were made against him by a colleague

Horner (pictured with Max Verstappen after winning the Bahrain GP) denies all the allegations and was cleared following the internal probe. The 50-year-old is desperate to stay in his role

‘(He should) resign as soon as possible,’ he told SPORT1. ‘It became problematic for me when he portrayed himself as a victim in the press conference in Saudi Arabia.

‘I’m sorry for his family, yes, but there was only one person who started this whole thing (which is) him.

‘I think it can no longer be denied that he and his personal assistant must have become very close. I can’t accept that he keeps saying he doesn’t want to talk about it in detail.

‘I can say from my own experience when it comes to my divorce, yes, it is difficult at the beginning when such a private matter is carried out in public.

‘But there comes a time when we have to talk about it because in the end it’s what’s best for all parties. For example, you don’t hear anything from Horner’s employee and that’s not good. Nobody talks about her.’

Schumacher, 48, who remains one of the most prominent voices in German motorsport, went onto highlight the harm he believes Horner is causing by remaining in his position.

‘One thing is certain as long as this chaos remains, it will do immense damage to Red Bull,’ he added.

‘Horner said that no one is more important than the team. Therefore, he should follow this command and resign as soon as possible.

‘What I found and still think is a shame (is) the Christian Horner case outshines everything. This became particularly clear on the first weekend in Bahrain. It wasn’t until race day that there was a little talk about the sport.

‘What also bothers me about the whole thing… an objective assessment is extremely difficult because there is a complete lack of transparency.

‘Everything should be sorted out as quickly as possible. It wouldn’t hurt anyone if he left. It would be important for the Red Bull brand.’

Schumacher’s latest comments come after his original calls for Horner to step down earlier this month.

Speaking in the aftermath of the 50-year-old being cleared, he told Sky Germany: ‘Christian Horner is now required to really draw conclusions.

‘I think, if you can already see how the mood is against him, that he is not tenable and that he should simply resign now in the interests of the team.

Schumacher hit out at Horner, 50, for ‘portraying himself as the victim’ in the whole saga

He claimed the Red Bull chief is causing ‘immense damage’ to Red Bull by staying in his role

‘I think the Thai side [at Red Bull] also has to realise: There’s no point in sticking with Christian Horner.’

He also insisted that Horner’s determination to remain in his role could impact Verstappen’s position at the team.

Speaking earlier in March to Austrian outlet Kronen Zeitung, he said: ‘If Christian Horner holds on to his seat with all his might he will not only damage Red Bull, he will also ensure that Max Verstappen leaves the team.’

Verstappen has won the first two races of the 2024 season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, with the Dutchman hoping to make it three in a row in Australia this weekend.