Verstappen grabbed a much stronger launch off the line when the lights went out, and took advantage of a passive Norris to thread his Red Bull down the inside.
The threat of Norris subsided quickly when the McLaren was dispatched by George Russell at Turn 11, as the Mercedes pounced on a gap to move into second.
But Russell could not get near Verstappen and the Dutchman was given the opportunity to start expanding on his lead to fend off the slightest hint of a battle with DRS.
Russell's strong start to the 24-lap race soon faded and offered Norris the chance to re-pass after drawing closer with DRS, allowing safe passage for the McLaren driver into the runner-up position once more.
Verstappen was well ahead at this juncture, however, with over 1.4 seconds in hand while Norris could not make a concerted effort to close in on the Red Bull's tail.
A minor high-speed corner advantage in Norris' favour allowed a small glimmer of opportunity for McLaren that could not be delivered upon as Verstappen only had to respond in kind to the Bristol-born driver and keep the gap between 1.4s and 1.6s over the following tours.
After being given the chance to push the higher-speed corners, Verstappen could start to eke out the gap a little more on each lap and finally found a two-second cushion as the race moved towards its final quarter. This had been doubled at the chequered flag, as a final flourish gave Verstappen a 4.2-second lead at the end.
Source: Autosport