Verstappen was jumped off the line by Norris to the delight of the home fans in attendance at Silverstone, which also let Piastri get close to the Red Bull driver.
Norris led the first four laps of the race and managed to resist any early efforts from the Dutchman, but Verstappen managed to make his way back past on lap 5 with a move on Norris at Brooklands.
Speaking about his slow start, Verstappen explained that the wheelspin off the line created a race that was not "straightforward" and simply tried to avoid any further incidents in the opening corners.
"I had a bad start, a lot of wheelspin, so I had to work my way up again to Lando," Verstappen said. "It took a few laps, then also took a few laps to cool down the tyres again in the lead, because Lando came back at me again with DRS.
"As soon as that [wheelspin] happens, of course you lose so much drive all the way to Turn 1. When Lando was in front I just tried to stay out of trouble in Turns 3 and 4.
"Then I had a little battle with Oscar into Copse, and I had to stay on the outside. But it all worked out."
Verstappen reckoned that the lack of grip that he faced during the start was similar to drifting around the circuit as part of his pre-event marketing commitments.
He suggested that it at least made his race more exciting at the start, before he settled into his usual rhythm out in front.
Source: Autosport