Abu Dhabi Grand Prix title decider between Norris, Verstappen and Piastri could hardly be better set up

Norris kept his answers after qualifying relatively short. He seems to be working hard 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 threatens to make the championship leader’s race an uncomfortable one.

With the title on the line, and winning the grand prix not good enough on its own for Verstappen, the race is unlikely to be simple, and what Verstappen and Red Bull might try to get in Norris’ way remains unknown.

“No idea,” Norris said, when he was asked whether he expected Verstappen to try to back him into the pack. “I expect everything. So wait and see.”

Verstappen was asked the same question, both in his BBC Sport interview on Thursday and in the news conference after qualifying on Saturday.

The reference here is Lewis Hamilton’s race in 2016, when he drove slowly in front of Mercedes’ team-mate Nico Rosberg in an attempt to back him into Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, knowing he needed Rosberg to finish third to beat him to the title. It didn’t work.

Verstappen was given this example. His response – both times, with slightly different wording – was to point out that it would be harder to do now, since changes to the circuit have made it less stop-start.

“It was a different layout,” Verstappen said. “I feel like now you get towed around a lot more. So it’s not as easy to do that.

“I felt like it was a lot easier to back it up then because the tyres would get hot. It’s very different times. I hope it’s not straightforward the race, but hopefully that’s not because of me.”

He added: “I want to win tomorrow, but I also know that that’s not enough, even if I win. So I just hope on some Abu Dhabi magic that happens behind me. So let’s see what we get. I just hope it’s going to be an interesting and fun race.”

That comment about “Abu Dhabi magic” is clearly a reference to 2010, when Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso came into the race with a lead over Red Bull’s Mark Webber and Vettel, in a situation pretty similar to this year.

Alonso looked certain to win the title – until Ferrari messed up their strategy, he got stuck in the midfield after an early pit stop, and spent an agonising two-thirds of the race watching his dreams turn to dust as Vettel took the race win and title.