The Red Bull driver, second for most of the race, took the lead with just a few laps to go and never relinquished it.
The victory is Verstappen’s first of the 2022 season, having not finished in Bahrain last week.
Ferrari made up the rest of the podium with LeClerc in second and Carlos Sainz in third.
24-year-old Verstappen called it a “really tough race but a good race.”
“We were both battling hard at the front. We just tried to play the long game,” Verstappen said.
“They were really quick through corners and we were really quick on the straight. The tires were wearing out quite quick. You could see by the end we had a little bit more pace.
“I tried to get by, it wasn’t easy, they were playing smart tricks in the last corner, but eventually I managed to get ahead. Even after that he was constantly in the DRS.
“Really happy we finally kick-started the season.”
To and fro
Having earned his country’s first-ever pole position, Sergio Perez made a perfect start on Sunday. The Mexican was quick off the line, blocking off second-placed LeClerc as well as maintaining his lead.
However, his dream race soon began to unravel.
An apparent fake pit from Ferrari meant Red Bull chose to pit Perez — losing places — just moments before Nicholas Latifi crashed, causing a safety car to come out which allowed other drivers to pit themselves.
It meant when the safety car left the track, LeClerc lead, followed by Verstappen with Perez down in fourth after giving up his third spot for a pit lane violation.
And with no obstructions ahead of him, the Monegasque driver continued his excellent pace in 2022, having won the opening race of the season in Bahrain last weekend.
The 24-year-old managed to hold…
Source : cnn
