There, each Red Bull driver appeared to push the other off-track and that allowed Nico Hulkenberg to play an early starring role for Haas before he had to complete a late charge on slicks as his starting intermediates faded.
At the start, Perez made a slightly better getaway compared to polesitter Verstappen and then shot to the inside alongside the pitwall as the pair race to Turn 1.
There, Perez forced his way ahead of Verstappen and then cut him off so forcefully on the run up the hill through the Turn 2 kink Verstappen briefly had to put his right-side wheels on the grass.
Then at Turn 3 Verstappen sent his car back up Perez’s inside from a long way back and the Mexican driver had to take to the run off, from where he rejoined behind Verstappen.
Their tangle held up Lando Norris, who fell from third into the final places in the top 10, while Hulkenberg got such a good run he was able to benefit when the Red Bull’s fought again in Turn 4.
Perez was again on the outside and lost momentum as Verstappen saw him off, with Hulkenberg getting such a better run out of the long downhill right-hander and through Turn 5 he was able to surge ahead on the next downhill corner – the fast left of Turn 6.
That left Verstappen clear to ease ahead – taking chunks of time from Hulkenberg over the opening phase of the 24-lap race.
Source: Autosport