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The climax to the F1 drivers' title could hardly be better set up after the three title contenders qualified together at the sharp end of the starting lineup for Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen put in one of the performances of the campaign – in his stellar career – to secure a blistering pole position.

The McLaren driver Lando Norris, who enters the race as championship favourite with a 12-point lead over Verstappen, is next to the Dutch driver on the first row.

The Briton's team-mate Oscar Piastri, sixteen points behind the summit, starts third, alongside Mercedes' George Russell on the row two.

The Straightforward Maths for Norris

For Norris, the maths are simple – his objective is straightforward.

The 26 year old will clinch the title for the first occasion if he secures a top-three finish, irrespective of what his rivals achieve.

Verstappen, 28, could secure a fifth straight title if he takes victory with Norris finishing fourth, or if he is runner-up and Norris is lower than seventh.

The Australian Piastri, 24, needs some form of drama to befall his rivals if he is to win his first title. He also approaches the race knowing that there is a possibility he could be asked to move aside and assist Norris secure the title if his own chances have faded.

What Cards Will The Challenger Play?

Norris kept his answers after qualifying relatively short. He appears working hard to keep himself settled and calm as he navigates the most intense weekend of his career.

This is logical. Although his route to the championship is seemingly simple, the fact Verstappen's is not threatens to make the points leader's race an uncomfortable one.

With the title on the line, and taking race victory not good enough on its own for Verstappen, the race is probably not going to be simple. What Verstappen and Red Bull might try to disrupt Norris's race is an open question.

"No idea," Norris said, when asked whether he expected Verstappen to try to slow him into the pack. "I expect everything. So wait and see."

Verstappen faced the identical query. His answer was to note that it would be harder to execute now, as changes to the circuit have made it less stop-start.

"The track was configured differently," Verstappen stated. "I feel like now you receive a slipstream around a lot more. So it's not as easy to do that."

He added: "I want to win tomorrow, but I also know that victory alone is insufficient. So I just hope for some Abu Dhabi magic that unfolds behind me. So let's see what we get."

That comment about "Abu Dhabi magic" is clearly a reference to a historic race where championship fate was turned upside down by pitwall miscalculations.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella, who was involved in that agonising race in 2010, has stressed to his team how strong their year has been and that "setbacks are inevitable".

As Verstappen summarised: "A lot can go well for you, can go against you, and we find out tomorrow."

There is also the possibility of a collision at the first corner – a scenario Piastri and Verstappen experienced there last year.

Norris, in his position, has the advantage of being able to be conservative at the start.

Piastri, when asked about action at Turn One, said: "Turn One I'm not sure," he said, "{but I'll have some handy."

He was also asked what he had discovered about title showdowns. His reply was succinct: "Unexpected events can happen. That's what I've learned."

Norris 'Carries the Burden on His Shoulders'

For each contender, and their teams, the pressure will mount in the hours before the race.

Even Verstappen, who has looked relaxation personified so far, admitted to some nerves before qualifying, but said that he fed off them to enhance his performance.

Commentator and ex-title winner Damon Hill, offering from experience, highlighted the importance of calmness.

"The way through this is to just concentrate on what you do for a living," Hill said. "You speak to the engineers and try to make the car go faster... When you have things on your mind, you can't concentrate."

"You know when you lie down in bed at night, there's that gap before you go to sleep? You try sleeping when you might become world champion or not. You need sleep."

"The pressure is immense. It's what you've always wanted. Lando has a weight on his shoulders... on Sunday he'll know whether he has crossed that threshold and joined that elite group of world champions."

The stage is prepared. The contenders are lined up. The F1 world championship will be decided under the floodlights of Abu Dhabi.