Verstappen nailed the start to head off Leclerc's run to the inside for the first corner and then dropped him again following an early safety car needed to clear debris from contact between cars back in the pack at Turn 1.
The early phase was Verstappen simply driving clear of Leclerc and Sainz, who was initially told he had to sit behind his team-mate and not attack, a call he got frustrated with after a few laps.
