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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 starting lineup for the 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 blistering pole position.

McLaren's Lando Norris, who heads into the race as championship favourite with a 12-point advantage over Verstappen, is alongside the Dutchman on the first row.

The Briton's colleague Oscar Piastri, 16 points behind the summit, starts third, with Mercedes' George Russell on the row two.

The Straightforward Equation for The Leader

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

The 26-year-old will be champion for the first time if he finishes on the podium, regardless of anyone else's result.

Verstappen, 28, could secure a fifth straight title if he takes victory with Norris in fourth, or if he is runner-up and Norris finishes outside seventh.

The Australian Piastri, 24, needs some form of drama to happen to his competitors if he is to win his first title. He also approaches the race aware that there is a possibility he might be instructed to yield position and assist Norris secure the title if his own hopes are over.

What Cards Will Verstappen Play?

Norris kept his answers after qualifying fairly concise. He appears striving to keep himself settled and calm as he navigates the most intense weekend of his career.

That's understandable. Although his path to the title is relatively straightforward, the fact Verstappen's is not could render the points leader's race an difficult one.

With the championship at stake, and taking race victory not good enough on its own for Verstappen, the race is unlikely to be simple. What Verstappen and Red Bull might try to get in Norris' way is an open question.

"I don't know," Norris said, when asked whether he expected Verstappen to try to back him into the pack. "Anything is possible. So we'll find out."

Verstappen was asked the same question. His answer was to note that such tactics are more difficult to execute now, since changes to the circuit have made it less stop-start.

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

He added: "My goal is victory on Sunday, but I also know that victory alone is insufficient. So I just hope for some Yas Marina drama that unfolds behind me. So let's see what we get."

That remark about "drama at Yas Marina" is clearly a reference to a historic 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 year has been and that "bumps on the road are unavoidable".

As Verstappen put it: "Many things can go well for you, can work against you, and we discover tomorrow."

There is also the possibility of a collision at the opening turn – a situation Piastri and Verstappen were involved in there last year.

Norris, in his favourable position, has the luxury 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 handy."

He was also asked what he had learned about title deciders. His reply was succinct: "Funny things 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 looked relaxation personified so far, admitted to some nerves before qualifying, but said that he fed off them to help him perform.

Commentator and ex-title winner 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 speak to the engineers and try to make the car go faster... Once you have things on your mind, 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."

"It's intense. 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 world champions."

The stage is prepared. The protagonists are in position. The F1 world championship will be settled under the floodlights of Abu Dhabi.