Johnny Herbert: Ferrari have a fighting chance of giving Lewis Hamilton the battle he wants

There is every chance Lewis Hamilton will be crowned world champion on Sunday but I think there’s a genuine sense of disappointment from him.

Not in the title win — he has long made it his ambition to emulate his idol Ayrton Senna by winning three world titles — but because he didn’t have a proper challenger. Sure, his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg was there for a time, but he wasn’t as quick as he’d have liked and that shows in the standings. That’s what makes Lewis such a good champion — he wants to win with a fight. He wants a war rather than domination. He likes to be pushed and to prove that he’s the deserving champion.

You saw that in his comments the other day when he not quite goaded, rather implored Ferrari to push forward, saying that having them at the front was what Formula One needs.

We’ve seen it coming from Ferrari this season and I expect Sebastian Vettel to be strong this weekend but more importantly I see them as title contenders in 2016. F1 needs two drivers at two different teams going wheel to wheel.

Both Lewis and Seb have been dominant forces but predominantly at different times, so it’s not a rivalry that’s truly transpired. That is until the coming season, I hope.

I like what I hear from Ferrari and Seb will only be more fluent with a season under his belt.It’s hard to predict how any campaign might pan out but I think Lewis genuinely expects to have a tough time of it. With the resurgence of Ferrari, that may happen, so we could be on the verge of something special.

If I were a betting man, I’d suggest the title race will sneak into another weekend, with Seb breathing down his neck the whole way.

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