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The climax to the F1 world championship could hardly be better set up after the three title contenders secured positions at the front of the starting lineup for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The Red Bull of Max Verstappen delivered a stunning display of the campaign – and of his illustrious career – to take a scintillating pole position.

McLaren's Lando Norris, who enters the race as championship favourite with a twelve-point advantage over Verstappen, is alongside the Dutch driver on the first row.

The British driver's colleague Oscar Piastri, 16 points off the summit, starts third, with Mercedes' George Russell on the second row.

The Straightforward Maths for The Leader

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

The 26 year old will be champion for the first time if he secures a top-three finish, regardless of anyone else's result.

Verstappen, 28, could secure a fifth straight title if he wins the race with Norris in fourth, or if he is second and Norris finishes outside seventh.

The Australian Piastri, 24, needs some kind of misfortune to befall his rivals if he is to claim his first title. He also approaches the race aware that there is a chance he could be asked to yield position and help Norris secure the title if his own hopes are over.

What Cards Will The Challenger Play?

Norris was brief after qualifying relatively short. He seems to be striving to keep himself settled and calm as he experiences the most intense weekend of his career.

This is logical. Even though his route to the championship is relatively straightforward, the fact Verstappen's is not threatens to make the championship leader's race an difficult one.

With the title on the line, and winning the grand prix not good enough on its own for Verstappen, the race is unlikely to be simple. What Verstappen and Red Bull might try to disrupt Norris's race remains unknown.

"I don't know," Norris said, when asked whether he anticipated Verstappen to try to back him into the pack. "Anything is possible. 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.

"It was a different layout," Verstappen said. "In my opinion now you receive a slipstream around a lot more. So it's not as easy to do that."

He continued: "I want to win tomorrow, but I also know that victory alone is insufficient. So I just hope for some Yas Marina drama that unfolds behind me. We shall see what we get."

That remark about "drama at Yas Marina" is clearly a reference to a historic race where championship fate was turned upside down by strategy errors.

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

As Verstappen summarised: "Many things can work in your favour, can work against you, and we find out tomorrow."

There is also the potential of contact at the opening turn – a scenario Piastri and Verstappen experienced there last year.

Norris, in his favourable position, has the luxury of being able to be cautious at the start.

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

He was also queried what he had learned about title deciders. His answer was succinct: "Unexpected events can happen. That's what I've learned."

Norris 'Carries the Burden on His Shoulders'

For all three, and their teams, the tension will mount in the hours before the race.

Even Verstappen, who has appeared utterly relaxed so far, confessed to some anxiety before qualifying, but said that he fed off them to help him perform.

Commentator and former champion Damon Hill, speaking from experience, emphasised the critical nature 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... Once you have things rattling around your head, 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. Rest is essential."

"The pressure is immense. It's what you've always wanted. Lando carries a burden on his shoulders... on Sunday he'll know whether he has crossed that threshold and joined that exclusive club of title winners."

The scene is set. The protagonists are in position. The Formula 1 world championship will be settled under the floodlights of Abu Dhabi.