Lewis Hamilton can complete a third straight win at Suzuka, says Johnny Herbert

Sky Sports' Johnny Herbert says Lewis Hamilton must quickly regain his winning formula or face handing the F1 drivers' crown to Nico Rosberg.

The three-time world champion hasn't won since the German Grand Prix at the end of July and has now slipped 23 points behind Mercedes team-mate Rosberg in the race for the title.

That four-race losing streak looked set to end in last Sunday's Malaysian GP only for Hamilton's engine to catch fire 15 laps from the end of the race with the Briton more than 20 seconds clear of eventual race winner Daniel Ricciardo.

But with five races remaining in this season's championship, Herbert still thinks pre-race favourite Hamilton can overhaul his rival, starting with victory in this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix.

The F1 analyst said: "Lewis would have won in Malaysia quite comfortably had it not been for his engine failure and, on a track where he won last year, I'm expecting  him to score a win this year as well."

Hamilton has won back-to-back races at Suzuka, forcing Rosberg wide with a controversial first-lap overtake on his way to victory last year, and Herbert expects to see a similar attacking approach on Sunday.

"He might need that same aggression at the start as 12 months ago, but we know what's he's prepared to do to stay ahead," added the three-time former Grand Prix winner.

Mercedes insist they have identified the fault with Hamilton's engine in Kula Lumpur, prompting Herbert to offer up Sky Bet's odds of 11/10 for a much-needed win.

Last week, the F1 pundit tipped up Red Bull's Ricciardo to secure a podium finish and he went one better to land an unexpected victory in Sepang. Herbert expects more of the same at Suzuka and is backing the Australian to finish in the top three at odds of 8/11.

He said: "Christian Horner is expecting Red Bull to be strong in Japan and if they are, you can expect Daniel to deliver.

"His confidence and demeanour will be sky high after last weekend's win, and somebody's got to keep the two Silver Arrows company on the podium, so why not him?"

Herbert also expects McLaren's Fernando Alonso to continue his excellent form and is tipping the Spaniard to finish in the points at odds of 4/11 with Sky Bet.

Alonso finished seventh last week, despite being forced to start at the back of the grid, and with Honda introducing a new power-pack they are expected to give a strong showing in front of the home fans.

Herbert said: "Fernando is picking up some really impressive points finishes at the moment, in fact he's making a habit of coming seventh. With the new upgraded Honda power unit and no penalties this week, I see no reason why he can't give Honda reason to smile this weekend."

Johnny Herbert's Charity tips this season are supporting Sporting Memories