Verstappen was embroiled in an intense battle for position with Kvyat - the man he replaced at Red Bull - for several corners before he had to give up and pit to try to undercut the Russian.

Although Verstappen expressed some frustration on the radio at Kvyat's defence, the Dutchman insisted team orders were not necessary.

When asked if Kvyat should have been asked to let him through, Verstappen said: "No, I should get past by myself. [Kvyat's defence] was good. He was fighting for his position."

When asked why he had shouted "Come on, man" on the radio, he said: “It was getting quite intense at one point, going a bit off the track. We were just losing a lot of time and of course after such a bad start you are a bit disappointed."

Kvyat made it clear that at no point was he asked to let his rival overtake him - neither early on in the race, nor later, when Verstappen finally worked his way around Kvyat on fresher tyres.

"Absolutely not," he said. "I think you saw that I tried to pass [Sergio] Perez, it was very hard to pass him because the straight line speed advantage is massive.

"I tried a really late braking manoeuvre, and went with four wheels [outside the track] at Turn 7. Also Max passed him, and I had to let Verstappen by to let Perez back, otherwise I would get a 10-second penalty."

He added: "I loved racing today. I feel this passion again."

Verstappen got stuck behind Kvyat after having made a terrible start which included a scare when he nearly made contact with Nico Hulkenberg's spinning Force India.

The Red Bull driver recovered to sixth position, which he felt was the maximum.

"Considering the start, I think we did the best we could. It's just very difficult and as soon as you stay behind for three or four laps and you try to get past, you just destroy your tyres.

"As soon as I was in clear air it was fine, I could manage my tyres. But unfortunately I didn't have that many free laps. It was all compromised by the start, unfortunately."

Additional reporting by Andrew van Leeuwen