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The climax to the F1 world championship is perfectly poised after the triple championship challengers secured positions at the sharp end of the starting lineup for Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The Red Bull of Max Verstappen put in one of the performances 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 next to the Dutch driver on the first row.

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

The Straightforward Maths for The Leader

For Norris, the equation is clear – and the task looks the same.

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

Verstappen, 28, could secure a fifth consecutive title if he wins the race with Norris finishing fourth, or if he is second and Norris is lower than seventh.

The Australian Piastri, 24, requires some form of drama to happen to his rivals if he is to win his first title. He will also head into the race knowing that there is a possibility he might be instructed to yield position and assist Norris win if his own hopes are over.

What Cards Will Verstappen Play?

Norris was brief after qualifying relatively short. He appears striving to keep himself composed and focused as he experiences the biggest 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 uncomfortable one.

With the title on the line, and winning the grand prix not sufficient 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 remains unknown.

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

Verstappen faced the same question. His answer was to point out that such tactics are more difficult to execute now, as track modifications 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 that's not enough. So I just hope for some Yas Marina drama that happens behind me. So let's see what we get."

That remark about "drama at Yas Marina" evokes memories of a historic race where title destiny was completely reversed by pitwall miscalculations.

McLaren boss Andrea Stella, who was involved in that agonising race in 2010, has stressed to his team the strength of their season has been and that "bumps on the road are inevitable".

As Verstappen put it: "A lot can work in your favour, can go against you, and we discover tomorrow."

There is also the potential of contact at the first corner – a situation Piastri and Verstappen were involved in there last year.

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

Piastri, when questioned about action at Turn One, remarked: "I'm uncertain about the first corner," he said, "{but I'll have some popcorn ready."

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

Norris 'Has a Weight on His Shoulders'

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

Even Verstappen, who has looked relaxation personified so far, confessed to some nerves 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.

"How to handle this is to just focus 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 rattling around your head, you can't concentrate."

"It's like 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 has a weight on his shoulders... on Sunday he'll know whether he has crossed that threshold and joined that elite group of title winners."

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