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

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

The McLaren driver Lando Norris, who enters the race as title leader with a twelve-point lead over Verstappen, is alongside the Dutchman on the first row.

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

The Straightforward Maths for Norris

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

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

Verstappen, 28, would clinch a fifth consecutive 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, requires some form of drama to happen to his competitors if he is to claim his first title. He will also head into the race knowing that there is a possibility he might be instructed to move aside and assist Norris secure the title if his own chances have faded.

What Cards Will The Challenger Play?

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

That's understandable. 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 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 remains unknown.

"I don't know," Norris said, when questioned if he anticipated Verstappen to try to back him into the pack. "I expect everything. So wait and see."

Verstappen was asked the identical query. His answer was to note that such tactics are more difficult to execute now, since track modifications have made it less stop-start.

"It was a different layout," Verstappen stated. "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 that's not enough. So I just hope for some Yas Marina drama that happens behind me. We shall see what we get."

That comment about "drama at Yas Marina" is clearly a reference to a past race where championship fate was completely reversed by strategy errors.

McLaren boss Andrea Stella, who experienced that agonising race in 2010, has emphasised to his team the strength of their year has been and that "setbacks are unavoidable".

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

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

Norris, in his position, has the advantage of being able to be cautious 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 popcorn ready."

He was also queried what he had discovered about title showdowns. His reply was succinct: "Funny things 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 appeared utterly relaxed so far, confessed to some anxiety before qualifying, but said that he fed off them to help him perform.

Commentator and ex-title winner Damon Hill, speaking 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... Once 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 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 stage is set. The contenders are lined up. The F1 world championship will be decided under the lights of Abu Dhabi.