George Russell needs a "big turnaround" if he is to pip Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli to the Formula One title, so says Max Verstappen.

Russell picked up his third race win of the season in Baku last time out.

The Briton sits second in the F1 driver standings, but he is 66 points behind championship leader Antonelli.

And though Verstappen, who was quickest through FP1 ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix, which is being held in Malaysia, thinks Russell is not out of the race, he conceded there needs to be a huge flip in fortunes for the Mercedes man.

Verstappen told the Press Association: "At times it sounded as though, and I don't want to say he [Russell] was giving up, but that maybe there were question marks.

"It has probably been a little bit confusing, and that risk is always there when you have new regulations.

"Kimi is also super-talented and last year was his rookie season, so I always knew that he would make a step. The previous ground-effect cars were very hard for rookies to actually get into because it was a complicated car, and you couldn't commit 100%.

"Now, it is a very different way of driving, and it probably suits Kimi a bit more naturally, but on the other hand, that isn't an excuse.

"Sometimes you have to accept that you are sitting next to someone who is an incredible talent, right? Then you need to be mentally resilient, and it comes down to what goes on in your head, and how you keep yourself motivated.

Fastest on Friday #F1 #BahrainGP pic.twitter.com/hTw40m8g6f

— Formula 1 (@F1) October 2, 2026

"He [Russell] had a really good weekend in Baku, but it is still a big gap. And Kimi just needs to stay close to him, and then that will be enough, even if it just one place behind.

"It is not impossible for George [to win the title], but it needs to be a big turnaround, and when it is between teammates it is harder because you have the same car."

Russell and Antonelli both endured a difficult time of it in practice, but Verstappen was quickest on both medium and soft tyres, while Charles Leclerc topped FP2.

"Currently, I think that Verstappen looks very fast, and then the race pace of McLaren looked very quick, but never say never," said Russell.

"It was a really cool experience driving this circuit. I've never driven here before. It's really an iconic place, so that was cool.

"With these conditions, tyre [degradation] is huge for everybody. And the cars are operating in a very different window. So, I think as a team, we just haven't got the car quite where we need it to be. We need to make some set-up adjustments, because we're a bit off the pace."