The reigning world champion, Lewis Hamilton, drove past the checkered flag some 35 seconds behind Hamilton, while his Mercedes teammate, Valtteri Bottas took third nearly 47 seconds later.

The 23-year-old Verstappen says their team strategy worked out perfectly.

“It was of course important to have a good start, then I think the first stint was about managing the tyres, and I could see that the pace was quite strong while looking after tyres.

“It has been sometimes a bit different in previous races so I think we worked hard to make that better, and today that was very good.

“I think as soon as we stopped to go onto the hards it was a really enjoyable stint just to drive.

“Of course, we had to go through a bit of traffic with like 12 cars I think in a row, but we cleared them and I could keep my pace quite consistent to the end.

“The car was super nice to drive, which, you know, is not always the case, but today I was really enjoying it.”

The teams stay in Spielberg this week for the Austrian Grand Prix.

@MorganPiek OFM Sport