Crucially, the incident prompted a red flag and played perfectly into Verstappen's hands, who sat in P2, could change his tyres for free and eliminated the threat of Norris from behind.
The British star sat in P4 prior to the red flag, after serving his pitstop during the virtual safety car following the crash of Nico Hulkenberg.
Verstappen started the race in P16, but quickly made his way through the field to place himself in contention during the pit window.
Despite starting on pole, Norris lost the lead to George Russell on the opening lap and therefore a major opportunity to slice Verstappen's lead in the drivers' standings.
The FIA have confirmed that the race will resume with a rolling start, with delays expected until the weather conditions improve.
Norris will have to get past the Alpine of Pierre Gasly before he can battle Verstappen on the re-start, with the Dutchman appearing as the favourite to win the race.