Sergio Perez soared to victory at the Saudi Arabian Formula One Grand Prix from pole and world champion Max Verstappen staged a remarkable comeback from 15th on the grid to second, resulting in a dominant one-two finish for Red Bull for the second consecutive race of the season Sunday.
Perez was briefly passed early on by Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso but never looked back en route to a fifth career win when he took the lead in lap four to triumph ahead of Verstappen and the Spanish driver.
Alonso finished third but received a post-race 10-second penalty for incorrectly serving a five-second penalty for a wrong starting position, dropping him to fourth and handing third to Mercedes driver George Russell.
After Aston Martin submitted a letter to review the 10-second penalty, the FIA reversed their decision, reinstating Alonso's 100th career podium.
Verstappen had moved into second by the halfway mark of the 50-lap race on the 6.174-kilometers Jeddah Corniche Course on the banks of the Red Sea but never managed to hunt down Perez.
But there were a nervy few final laps for Verstappen after he reported "something wrong" with the driveshaft, the part of the car that had an issue in qualifying which forced the Dutchman to start from 15th.
He could however complete the race as the imperious Red Bulls dominated the action but in reverse order to the Bahrain finish.
Verstappen remained top in the standings, thanks to the extra point he snatched through the fastest race lap in the last lap.
"It turned out to be tougher than expected, with the safety car," Perez said.
"The team did a fantastic job – they've worked so hard during the weekend, there's been a lot of mechanical issues. The important thing is we have the fastest car, so I'm pleased with that."
Verstappen, who had arrived late in Jeddah owing to a stomach bug, said: "It was a very good recovery so I am happy with that.
"It wasn't very easy to get through the field. Through the first sector, trying to follow at the beginning of the race was very difficult, with a lot of sliding around. But once I cleared them one by one, I got into a good rhythm and of course very happy to be here on the podium."
Verstappen's start from 15th and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc from 12th owing to a 10-place grid penalty added spice to the race.
Alonso won the start from Perez in a frantic run into the first chicane but his joy was short-lived as stewards imposed a five-second penalty on the veteran for "an incorrect starting location" and he was then passed for the lead by Perez in lap four.
Verstappen rose rapidly through the field, passing seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton unchallenged in the process, and the safety car then also helped him, deployed briefly when Lance Stroll had stopped his Aston Martin off the track after being told his race was over with an issue.
The safety car brought Verstappen closer to the top and he wasted no time after the restart to roar past Russell and Alonso into second by the halfway mark, five seconds behind Perez.
But the two-time champion was not able to draw significantly closer to Perez, who matched his pace up front.
Verstappen then reported the driveshaft issue with 12 laps left, only to be reassured by the team, and in the end, got the consolation of keeping the championship lead with the fastest lap at the death.
Alonso's mishap nearly cost him a 100th career podium and temporarily put Mercedes' Russell in third place before his penalty was reviewed.
Hamilton came fifth, followed by the Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Leclerc, Alpine duo Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, with Haas driver Kevin Magnussen completing the top 10.