The Red Bull team were playing ‘happy families’ at the Australian GP, with Christian Horner, Max Verstappen and Helmut Marko in conversation during Saturday’s qualifying.

Verstappen qualified in pole position for Sunday’s race at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, while Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez was demoted from third to sixth after impeding Nico Hulkenberg during Saturday’s proceedings.

While the Red Bull team has been at the centre of a turbulent period at the start of the season due to the ongoing ‘sex texts’ scandal, they appeared to be all smiles during the qualifying session.

Red Bull director Marko, team principal and CEO Horner, and three-time World Champion Verstappen were seen deep in conversation during Saturday’s qualifying.

The 26-year-old saw off Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz by 0.270 of a second at Albert Park, securing his third pole position in a row in front of a crowd just short of 131,000.

Christian Horner, Max Verstappen and Helmut Marko showed a display of unity in Melbourne

Red Bull has been through a turbulent period owing to the ongoing ‘sex texts’ scandal

Verstappen claimed his third pole position in a row during Saturday’s qualifying session

Verstappen said: ‘It was a bit unexpected today, but I am very happy with Q3.

‘Both of my laps felt nice and enjoyable. It was a tricky weekend so far but we managed to be there at the end.

‘They [Ferrari] seem very quick in the long runs so there is a question mark over tomorrow.’

If he wins Sunday’s race, he repeats his run of ten straight victories, which he achieved last season.

Team principal Horner had faced widespread criticism following the ‘sexting’ controversy, including from Jos Verstappen, the father of Red Bull’s main driver.

An internal investigation was carried out prior to the 2024 season following a complaint made by a female employee at Red Bull, and Horner was cleared of any wrongdoing just a day before the first practice session at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

What appeared to be intimate WhatsApp exchanges allegedly sent by Horner to the female colleague were then leaked to a number of key F1 figures and the media just 24 hours later, bringing his conduct back into the spotlight.

It has led to speculation that Verstappen could leave Red Bull despite their domination on the track, especially if Marko is ousted from his position as director.

Team principal Horner was seen hugging Red Bull’s star driver Verstappen on Thursday

There was speculation that Verstappen could leave Red Bull if Marko left his director role

Verstappen qualified in pole position for the Australian GP, with team-mate Sergio Perez third

Horner and Verstappen had shown unity during Thursday’s practice sessions.

Marko issued a hammer blow to Daniel Ricciardo’s hopes of returning to the Red Bull top team, claiming the Australian driver is ‘too slow’.