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The finale to the F1 drivers' title is perfectly poised after the triple championship challengers qualified together at the front of the grid for Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen put in a stunning display of the season – and of his illustrious career – to take a scintillating pole position.

McLaren's Lando Norris, who enters the race as title leader with a twelve-point lead over Verstappen, is next to the Dutchman on the first row.

The Briton's team-mate Oscar Piastri, sixteen points behind the summit, will begin from third, with the Mercedes of George Russell on the row two.

The Straightforward Equation for Norris

For Norris, the equation is clear – his objective is straightforward.

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

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

The Australian Piastri, 24, needs some kind of misfortune to happen to his rivals if he is to win his maiden championship. He will also head into the race knowing that there is a chance he could be asked to move aside and assist Norris win if his own hopes are over.

What Cards Will The Challenger Play?

Norris kept his answers after qualifying fairly concise. He seems to be working hard to keep himself settled and calm as he navigates 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 championship at stake, and taking race victory not sufficient on its own for Verstappen, the race is unlikely to be simple. The tactics Verstappen may employ to disrupt Norris's race is an open question.

"No idea," Norris said, when questioned if he expected Verstappen to try to back him into the pack. "Anything is possible. So we'll find out."

Verstappen faced the identical query. His response was to point out that it would be harder to execute now, as track modifications have made it more flowing.

"The track was configured differently," Verstappen said. "In my opinion 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 Yas Marina drama that unfolds behind me. We shall see what we get."

That comment about "drama at Yas Marina" evokes memories of a past race where championship fate was turned upside down by pitwall miscalculations.

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

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

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

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

Piastri, when asked 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 queried what he had discovered about title showdowns. His answer was succinct: "Funny things can happen. That's what I've learnt."

Norris 'Carries the Burden on His Shoulders'

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

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

Commentator and former champion Damon Hill, offering from experience, highlighted the critical nature of calmness.

"How to handle this is to just concentrate on what you do for a living," Hill said. "You work with 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 moment 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 elite group of title winners."

The stage is prepared. The contenders are in position. The Formula 1 world championship will be settled under the floodlights of Abu Dhabi.