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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 starting lineup for Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The Red Bull of Max Verstappen put in a stunning display of the season – in his stellar career – to secure a blistering pole position.

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

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

The Simple Equation for The Leader

For Norris, the equation is clear – 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 what his rivals achieve.

Verstappen, 28, would clinch a fifth straight title if he takes victory with Norris finishing fourth, or if he is runner-up and Norris is lower than seventh.

The Australian Piastri, 24, requires some kind of misfortune to happen to his rivals if he is to claim his first title. He will also head into the race aware that there is a possibility he might be instructed to move aside and help Norris secure the title if his own chances have faded.

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 navigates the most intense weekend of his career.

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

With the title on the line, and taking race victory not sufficient on its own for Verstappen, the race is probably not going to be simple. The tactics Verstappen may employ to disrupt Norris's race remains unknown.

"No idea," Norris said, when asked whether he anticipated Verstappen to try to back him into the pack. "I expect everything. So we'll find out."

Verstappen was asked the same question. 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.

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

He continued: "I want to win tomorrow, but I also know that victory alone is insufficient. So I just hope for some Abu Dhabi magic that unfolds behind me. So let's see what we get."

That remark about "drama at Yas Marina" evokes memories of a past race where title destiny was completely reversed by pitwall miscalculations.

McLaren boss Andrea Stella, who was involved in that painful race in 2010, has emphasised to his team how strong their season has been and that "bumps on the road are inevitable".

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

There is also the potential of contact at the opening turn – a scenario Piastri and Verstappen experienced there last year.

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

Piastri, when asked about excitement at Turn One, remarked: "I'm uncertain about the first corner," he said, "{but I'll have some handy."

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

Norris 'Has a Weight on His Shoulders'

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

Even Verstappen, who has looked relaxation personified so far, admitted 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, emphasised the importance of calmness.

"How to handle this is to just focus 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 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 exclusive club of world champions."

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