Sawt Falasteen - Sleepless in Abu Dhabi - nervy times for Norris says Rosberg

Norris is locked in a three-way scrap for the 2025 drivers' crown with Red Bull's Max Verstappen and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri.

Norris, who will claim a maiden crown if he makes the podium irrespective of where the other two come, starts on the front row alongside pole-sitter Verstappen, with Piastri qualifying in third on Saturday.

Nine years ago, Rosberg won the title in Abu Dhabi, denying his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton.

"I couldn't sleep for more than two hours and the whole weekend was super-stressful," recalled Rosberg.

"And I couldn't eat normally at all. The only thing I could eat was my childhood food, Frosties (breakfast cereal), which I hadn’t eaten for 20 years or something."

Rosberg said he faced more severe stress in the race as he ran second behind Hamilton who slowed down to back up the pack behind his rival in the hope that someone might pass him.

He also faced, he said, a critical moment when his race engineer asked him to pass a then-youthful Verstappen to preserve his world title bid – and found 'for the first time in my life" that his right leg was shaking uncontrollably as he tried to control his throttle pedal.

"I was twitching all the way up my leg – not a good thing when you are racing for the world championship in a Formula One car," he noted, adding that like Norris he had devoted his life since childhood to achieving the ambition to be champion.

"It was 50-50 when I made that move on Verstappen as he was in his early days and I was just shaking with nerves,” he told Sky Sports F1.

He added that Norris had done "a great job in improving himself" during the season.

"It was Lando's weaknesses that, kind of, let Oscar get away in the middle of the season and he's just improved himself.

"He's really refocused, reduced his errors and that's super-impressive. So, hats off to Lando."

Hamilton won the race from pole, but Rosberg finished second to take the title but retired days afterwards, blaming all the stress.

G.AbuGhazaleh--SF-PST