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The finale to the Formula 1 world championship could hardly be better set up after the triple championship challengers qualified together at the sharp end of the grid for Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen delivered one of the performances of the campaign – in his stellar career – to take a scintillating pole position.

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

The Briton's team-mate Oscar Piastri, 16 points off the lead, starts third, alongside the Mercedes of George Russell on the row two.

The Straightforward Maths for The Leader

For Norris, the maths are simple – and the task looks the same.

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 consecutive title if he takes victory with Norris finishing fourth, or if he is runner-up and Norris finishes outside seventh.

The Australian Piastri, 24, needs some kind of misfortune to happen to his competitors if he is to win his maiden championship. He will also head into the race knowing that there is a possibility he might be instructed to yield position and help Norris secure the title if his own hopes are over.

What Cards Will The Challenger Play?

Norris kept his answers after qualifying relatively short. He seems to be working hard to keep himself composed and focused as he experiences the most intense weekend of his career.

That's understandable. Although his path to the title is seemingly simple, the fact Verstappen's is not threatens to make the points leader's race an uncomfortable one.

With the championship at stake, and winning the grand prix 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.

"I don't know," Norris said, when questioned if he anticipated Verstappen to try to slow him into the pack. "Anything is possible. So we'll find out."

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

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

He continued: "My goal is victory on Sunday, but I also know that victory alone is insufficient. So I just hope for some Abu Dhabi magic that happens behind me. So let's see what we get."

That remark about "drama at Yas Marina" is clearly a reference to a past race where title destiny was completely reversed by strategy errors.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella, who was involved in that agonising race in 2010, has emphasised 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 go against you, and we discover tomorrow."

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

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

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

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

Norris 'Has a Weight on His Shoulders'

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

Even Verstappen, who has appeared utterly relaxed so far, admitted to some anxiety before qualifying, but said that he fed off them to enhance his performance.

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

"The way through 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 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 can be world champion or not. You need sleep."

"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 made it and joined that elite group of world champions."

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