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The climax to the F1 drivers' title could hardly be better set up after the three title contenders qualified together at the front of the grid for Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

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

McLaren's Lando Norris, who enters the race as championship favourite with a 12-point lead over Verstappen, is next to the Dutch driver on the front row.

The Briton's colleague Oscar Piastri, sixteen points off the lead, starts third, with 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 finishes on the podium, regardless of what his rivals achieve.

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 finishes outside seventh.

The Australian Piastri, 24, requires some kind of misfortune 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 yield position and help Norris secure the title if his own chances have faded.

What Cards Will Verstappen Play?

Norris kept his answers after qualifying relatively short. He appears working hard to keep himself settled and calm as he navigates the most intense weekend of his career.

That's understandable. Although 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 remains unknown.

"I don't know," Norris said, when asked whether he expected Verstappen to try to slow him into the pack. "I expect everything. So wait and see."

Verstappen was asked the identical query. His answer was to point out that such tactics are more difficult to execute now, as changes to the circuit have made it more flowing.

"It was a different layout," 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: "My goal is victory on Sunday, but I also know that that's not enough. 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 past race where title destiny was turned upside down by strategy errors.

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

As Verstappen put it: "A lot can go well for you, can work against you, and we find out tomorrow."

There is also the possibility of contact at the opening turn – 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 asked about action at Turn One, said: "Turn One I'm not sure," he said, "{but I'll have some handy."

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

Norris 'Carries the Burden on His Shoulders'

For all three, and their teams, the pressure will build 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 ex-title winner Damon Hill, speaking from experience, highlighted the importance of calmness.

"The way through 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 might become 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 title winners."

The scene is prepared. The contenders are lined up. The Formula 1 world championship will be settled under the lights of Abu Dhabi.