Carlos Sainz completed the podium ahead of his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc, who popped up in Perez's race and gained several places from his mid-pack grid spot by completing a rare Suzuka one-stop strategy.
At the first start, polesitter Verstappen easily led Perez away from the line, with the action occurring far back in the pack as the medium-starting RB cars got swamped by soft-shod rivals.
