In the 57-lap race held under floodlights, Verstappen defeated Carlos Sainz of Ferrari and Sergio Perez of Red Bull.
Verstappen led from the beginning, and Perez fought his way up from sixth on the grid to second place, overtaking George Russell's Mercedes and Charles Leclerc of Ferrari after gaining a position from Sainz at the start.
Verstappen, the pole sitter, led Leclerc, Russell, and Perez in the charge to Turn 1. Sainz finished sixth, ahead of the bickering McLarens of Lando Norris Oscar Piastri and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin).
At the first corner, Lance Stroll's Aston spun after making contact with Nico Hulkenberg's Haas, who was shoved from behind by Valtteri Bottas' Sauber. Hulkenberg was the last to return after being forced to pit for a new nose.
Verstappen swiftly moved out of Leclerc's DRS range after Russell overtook him for second place at Turn 4 on lap 3. At Turn 1, Norris passed Alonso for sixth place, and, then Piastri did the same a few laps later to move the McLarens up to sixth and seventh, respectively.
On lap 7, Perez moved by Leclerc for third place at Turn 11 after the Ferrari driver locked up and went wide at the previous corner.
After ten laps, Verstappen had a lead of more than seven seconds, just as Logan Sargeant wrecked his Williams at Turn 4 and then came back. Williams later found a fault during his pit break and replaced Sargeant's steering wheel.
On lap 11, Sainz passed Leclerc, who had lost DRS on Perez due to a significant skid at the last corner, to take fourth place with the Ferraris approaching dangerously close into Turns 1 and 2.
On lap 12, Perez was promoted to a Red Bull 1-2 from Sainz and the McLarens after Russell and Leclerc pitted for hard tires. A lap later, Perez came to a stop, but he was unable to pass Russell.
On lap 14, Perez then launched an onslaught at Russell, overtaking him with a daring maneuver as they exited Turn 4.
On lap 15, Sainz pulled off from second place and came back to trail Leclerc, who was complaining about front locking. Two laps later at Turn 1, Sainz past an irate Leclerc for the second time.
On lap 18, Verstappen stopped for the first time, and at Turn 4, Sainz overtook Russell to record the fastest lap.
Verstappen had an almost 15-second advantage over Perez, Sainz, Russell, and Leclerc at the halfway point. Lap 32 saw Russell start the last round of pit stops, and because there weren't enough hards left, the Red Bulls had to fit softs for the final stint.
Russell had to slow down in the second half of the race due to overheating, which allowed Leclerc to close. On lap 46, Russell outpaced himself at Turn 10, giving fourth to Leclerc.
Over 22 seconds separated Verstappen from Perez, Sainz, Leclerc, and Russell.
Lewis Hamilton, driving for Mercedes, battled with a dead seat and his battery as he finished seventh, while Norris finished a lone sixth. After the last round of stops, he was able to outbrake Piastri and overtake Alonso with eighteen laps remaining.
Alonso, who had started the race as high as sixth, faded to tenth place after making an awkwardly timed late stop for his last pair of hards. In the closing stages, he overtook the recuperating Stroll for ninth place, but he was unable to go up the order any higher.
"Astonishing," Max Verstappen exclaimed. "Today, I believe, went even better than anticipated.
"Our pace was rather quick. It's been a blast to drive today. fantastic beginning to the year. It was ideal in every way.
"These kinds of days are always very special because they don't happen very often when everything goes perfectly and you feel like you're one with the car."
Teammate Perez stated, "I feel it was the best we could have done." "There's strong team momentum. We must continue it over the upcoming weekend.
He remarked, "I felt exceptionally well out there today." "A good step forward from where we started last year and an excellent begin to the season, but still not enough and not where we want to be."