Karim Benzema, who had been a doubt for the game with a leg injury and only played the first 45 minutes, made the most of his time on the pitch, hitting a beautiful volley from Vinicius Jr's perfect cross to open the scoring in the first half.
It was the 17th goal of his career against Atletico and 13th of the season to lead the LaLiga scoring chart.
Vinicius Jr did not score but was man of the match after earning another assist early in the second half, this time for Marco Asensio as Real extended to 11 their unbeaten streak against their local rivals in LaLiga.
Carlo Ancelotti's team are currently cruising at the top of the table, eight points clear of second-placed Sevilla and 13 above Atletico in fourth, albeit having played a game more than both.
