Verstappen was close to second behind Hamilton by nearly 30 seconds, but made an impression when he rose back from seventh, after conceding a penalty after qualifying.
The Red Bull driver also took home bonus points for registering for the fastest lap in the closing stages to further limit the damage on what threatened to be a tough weekend.
This year’s title race will come to an end when there are only two big men left this season, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi.
Hamilton told Sky Sports: “It’s pretty simple, it’s pretty lonely up front. “Of course I like those races… we needed those points today, so a really solid job from the team.
“I can’t wait to watch the replay of the race to see what happened behind me. I’m really grateful for these points. It gives us a good chance for the next two races.”
Despite seeing his lead drop for the second straight race, Verstappen remained upbeat about the weekend’s results.
“Of course our starting position was a bit damaged, but we got off to a really good start,” Verstappen said. “At the end of the day to get the fastest lap that’s nice, it’s going to be tough until the end.
“It’s going to be very interesting. I feel good, it’s going to be a tight battle to the end.”
Fernando Alonso took an impressive third with Alpine, marking his first time on the podium since 2014 when he was driving for Ferrari.
The Spaniard was surprised by the result, prompting him to drop an F-bomb on live television.
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez couldn’t quite fight his way past Alonso and had to settle for fourth, with Esteban Ocon ending a brilliant weekend for Alpine by finishing fifth.
Lance Stroll, Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris and Sebastian Vettel complete the point slots.
.
