Poleman Verstappen was overtaken by George Russell at the initial start, and he then lost a further spot at Turn 3 when, in Horner's words, Hamilton "sent a missile" down the inside and made an aggressive pass.
Verstappen then sat in third watching the Mercedes drivers battle before Russell pitted when a safety car came out after Alex Albon crashed. The subsequent red flag gave Hamilton and Verstappen a free tyre change and kept them at the front of the order.
