Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg fired their final shots in the psychological war that has unfolded ahead of their Formula One title showdown in Abu Dhabi.On track at the Yas Marina circuit, Rosberg comfortably outperformed Hamilton by four tenths of a second to claim his 11th pole position of the season.

Off track, the 29-year-old German tried to rattle Hamilton with his comments, suggesting he is a man under pressure given his mistakes of late and that he has everything to lose.

With a 17-point lead, and despite the controversial spectre of double points, all Hamilton has to do is claim a top-two finish.

Williams duo Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa are possible flies in the ointment of a potential second title triumph, however, as they pushed the Mercedes pair hard in qualifying.

With Rosberg needing just one Williams driver between himself and Hamilton to snatch the championship should he win the race, he is convinced his team-mate is the one who has to watch his back.

"For me it's very intense. I'm not going to stand here and say it's a walk in the park," said Rosberg of the situation on the eve of the biggest day in his career. "But it's a great moment at the same time, which is what I'm focusing on, making the most of it, having this opportunity which is very special.

"Lewis has everything to lose, I have everything to gain, so for sure the pressure is on him. It's my opportunity to keep the pressure on him as much as possible and maybe he will make the mistake, which we saw today and in Brazil [the last race]. They are the signs that give me hope.

"In Brazil, I tried to keep the level as high as possible and push him into that mistake, so tomorrow if there is a Williams a bit closer it could be enough. Who knows?"

Hamilton, who appeared edgy in the press conference that followed qualifying, at least fired back a few barbs of his own when Rosberg's remarks were put to him. Asked about the mind games, Hamilton said: "I don't really pay much attention to him. If I made any mistakes then it would have been the same amount as he did. I've made very few mistakes through the year, so I'm not worried.

"Nico is trying everything to come up with some way of dealing with things. Me? I just keep to myself and do my talking on the track, and I know from my experiences of the past I'm better prepared than I ever have been."

Hamilton certainly took some comfort from the fact Rosberg has failed to convert pole into a race win on seven of the 10 previous occasions he has claimed the honour this year.

"Getting pole is a great thing, it's something a driver always wants to get," added Hamilton. "But as we've seen in F1 in the past, pole is not everything. It's more what you do in the race. I'm second on the grid, but it's not a bad position to be in as there is a long straight from turns seven to eight. So for me I feel quite comfortable with where I am, and I still want to win, and the confidence I have in knowing I can race helps a lot. Nico may have won the 'Pole Position Cup' - I don't mind that!"

Bottas lines up third, with Massa fourth, while in what could be his final race in F1, Jenson Button starts eighth in his McLaren.

On his F1 debut after signing for Caterham for this race, 23-year-old Briton Will Stevens will start 17th due to grid penalties for Lotus' Romain Grosjean and Red Bull drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel. The Red Bull duo had originally qualified fifth and sixth only for their cars to later fail a front-wing test and be declared illegal due to an aerodynamic influence, so the pair were demoted to the back of the grid.

Technical delegate Jo Bauer initially referred the matter to the stewards after discovering the "front wing flaps were designed to flex under aerodynamic load," which is against the regulations.

Via a statement, Red Bull suggested they were not the only team breaking the rules.The statement read: "Following the decision of the stewards regarding the front wings on both our cars, we are disappointed we have been singled out for a front-wing deflection test when it is clear other teams are interpreting the rules in a similar fashion.

"The team accepts the decision of the stewards and will start the race from the back of the grid."

Off the track, Mexican driver Sergio Perez has agreed a multi-year contract to stay at Force India beyond 2015.