Verstappen heavy favorite in Melbourne as Red Bull Formula One drama rumbles on

MELBOURNE, Australia – Max Verstappen will be heavy favorite to make it three wins from three this season as his Red Bull team attempt to put weeks of paddock intrigue behind them at the Australian Grand Prix.

The Dutch three-time world champion emphatically led home teammate Sergio Perez in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, but the celebrations were overshadowed by team disunity and allegations against Christian Horner.

The long-serving Red Bull boss was cleared of inappropriate conduct involving a woman colleague ahead of the season-opener in Sakhir and tried to put a lid on the drama in Jeddah.

But the unnamed woman has appealed to Red Bull GmbH, the parent company of the all-conquering Formula One team.

She has also reportedly lodged an official complaint to Formula One's governing body the FIA, ensuring the saga will rumble on in Melbourne this weekend.

Horner has guided Red Bull to six constructors' and seven drivers' world championships since 2005, including the last three won by Verstappen.

But the star driver's father, the former racer Jos Verstappen, claimed earlier this month that Red Bull faced being "torn apart" if Horner remained in his position.

His son also issued a veiled threat to quit if team adviser Helmut Marko was sidelined in any power struggle.

Horner insisted "it is absolutely fine with Max", but added the caveat that "we are a team and no single individual is bigger than the team".

That piqued the interest of Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, who needs a replacement next season when Lewis Hamilton departs for Ferrari.

"There is no team up and down the grid who wouldn't do handstands to have him (Verstappen) in a car," Wolff told reporters ahead of arriving in Australia.

Intrigue aside, victory in Saudi Arabia was Verstappen's ninth in a row, with more of the same expected at Albert Park, barring any technical hiccups.

"It has been a great start to the year and we don't know the full potential of the car yet, so now we want to keep the momentum going," said the Red Bull ace.

Verstappen won a chaotic race from pole in Australia last year, holding off Hamilton after the grand prix was red-flagged three times, with multiple crashes and just 12 drivers