Starting the race ninth on the grid, Verstappen wasted no time working his way to the front after having to adapt his race strategy.

Verstappen took the checkered flag, with his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez taking second, while the seasoned Fernanda Alonso of Aston Martin rounded off the podium some 26 seconds off the pace.

Verstappen said he was confident in the pace of his car.

“It was a good race,” said the two-time World Champion, Verstappen.

“I stayed out of trouble at the beginning and then just had a clean race, picked the cars off one by one. Then I could stay out really long on the hard tyres and that’s where I think we made the difference today.

“I had a good little battle with Checo at the end. We kept it clean and that’s the most important – it’s a great win today. Yesterday was of course a bit of a setback, today we just kept it calm, kept it clean, and for sure winning a race from P9 is always very satisfying.”

The next stop for the drivers will be the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on 21 May at Imola.

Morgan Piek/OFM Sport