Verstappen and "Checo" Pérez take the podium at the Turkish Grand Prix

F1: winning partnership of Checo Pérez and Max Verstappen 3:32

(CNN) -

Valtteri Bottas, who started on pole position, won the Turkish Grand Prix on Sunday and his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton finished fifth and limited the damage to his defense of the Formula 1 title.

Hamilton, who started the race in 11th position due to a 10-place grid penalty, maneuvered across the track - initially in dangerous wet conditions - to score 10 points, while his title rival Max Verstappen of Red Bull, finished in second position.

Sergio "Checo" Pérez, also from Red Bull, took the podium after finishing third;

meanwhile, Charles Leclerc, from Ferrari, finished in fourth place.

Thus, Verstappen regained the lead, by a difference of six points, over the seven-time world champion in the drivers' championship standings.

"It wasn't easy today, the track was greasy and we had to manage the tires the whole race," Verstappen told the F1 website.

"Valtteri had a bit more pace, but we are happy to finish second ... it's easy to go wrong and fall."

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Max Verstappen finished second for a six-point championship lead.

Hamilton pitted on lap 51 of the race out of 58 overall to change tires, a decision by the Mercedes team that the 36-year-old did not like.

"We shouldn't have gone in. Huge wear. I told you so," said an irritated Hamilton over the Mercedes team radio.

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"A very open championship"

However, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said the team orders had been correct.

"He (Hamilton) didn't see how much Perezen was going down time per lap and he didn't see that (Charles) Leclerc was going down," Wolff said.

"It was clear that if he had stayed out he would have lost to Gasly anyway.

The correct decision would probably have been to be very conservative and pit when everyone entered the intermission, but that's in hindsight after the race. "

"The relative point of view is that in the last race Red Bull was very happy to have lost only seven points due to a penalty on the grid and today we lost eight points.

"So it's not the end of the world. The absolute point of view is that we could probably have added another three, four or five more points. The championship is very open."

Hamilton was unhappy with his team's racing strategy in the closing moments of the Turkish Grand Prix.

There are six more races, with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix closing the 2021 season on December 12.

"I haven't done it in a long time, but it feels good," Bottas told the F1 website after claiming his first win of the season.

"For my part, one of the best races I have ever had ... everything was under control. Everything went well for once for me."

Formula 1Lewis HamiltonMax VerstappenSergio "Checo" PérezValtteri Bottas