NEW DELHI, Dec. 7 -- Max Verstappen is as relaxed as he can be. With 12 points behind championship leader Lando Norris, the Red Bull driver knows he is not the favourite for the 2025 Formula 1 crown. A win at Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix alone will not give him his fifth successive title. But what gives him the added benefit is that he's been there, done that. Not once, but four times. That freedom to go for it without worrying about risks unshackled him and allowed him to push even harder to deliver a scorching lap (1:22.207) to claim pole - his eighth of the year and 48th of career - in a tense Saturday qualifying, ahead of Norris (1:22.408) and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri (1:22.437). "It's a massive advantage because Max is like 'if I win this year, it's great. If I don't, I go home, we have a winter break and come out next year and fight for a world championship'. He's very relaxed. The thing about Max is he's just there to go racing. He loves the competition, loves winning, there's no pressure on his shoulders," 2009 world champion Jenson Button told HT from Abu Dhabi. "Whereas the other two, a lot of pressure. It's the first time they've had an opportunity to fight for a world championship. That is a big deal. This is their dream. It could be their dreams coming true. From a five-year-old when you watch F1, your dream is to win a world championship and this might happen for one of them. So, there's a lot of pressure you put on your shoulders." This is the first time in 15 years that three contenders are entering the season-ending race with a chance to win the title. Button, 45, was there when at Abu Dhabi 2010 he saw Sebastian Vettel come from third in the title race to pip championship leader Fernando Alonso of Ferrari and Red Bull teammate Mark Webber to become the youngest ever F1 champion. "You can tighten up under that pressure and it really can affect you. Even if you have the quickest car at the last race, you're not able to extract the maximum because you're not relaxed, you're not yourself. So, it's an advantage for Max. But even if Max wins, it's not down to him this weekend. It's all how Lando deals with the pressure and that's what's going to win the championship for either Max or Lando," said Button in a call facilitated by FanCode, the official broadcaster for F1 in India. The last 10 Abu Dhabi GPs have been won by the driver starting from pole. Though starting second, series leader Norris, 26, just needs to finish on the podium to ensure his maiden F1 title. But as witnessed in Qatar, in case the Briton falls behind, overtaking will not be easy, especially in a race where nerves are expected to play a big role....