While Sebastian Vettel's chances of snatching the championship from the clutches of Lewis Hamilton were meager, the Ferrari driver was still disappointed by today's overall results although he believes third was a very good result overall.
Vettel was the underdog for a good part of the afternoon but a pitstop and change to medium tyres after 19 laps coupled with the race's Safety Car periods eventually brought the German into contention in the last third of the race.
Indeed Vettel's Ferrari was at one point the fastest car out on the track, and many even believed he could produce a run to the end without a second pitstop.
Alas, tyre wear eventually forced the Ferrari to pit for a set of the softer compound rubber which compromised any opportunity to battle with the faster Mercedes duo of Rosberg and Hamilton.
"I've got some mixed feelings really," Vettel admitted.
"On the one hand it's not great to lose out on the championship and a chance to hang in there, but equally it was fantastic race."
"Starting 13th in these conditions and with I don't know how many Safety Cars, we had a very good race. The car was great, especially in mixed conditions when we switched to dry tyres. I think we had a couple of laps when we seemed to fly, I was enjoying that alot."
Slowly but surely, Ferrari appear to be bridging the gap with its Mercedes rival, a state of affairs which bodes well for next season according to Vettel.
"I'm not predicting anything, but we're working very hard and making good progress. Things are looking good for next year but we first of all we have to finish the season in style, and try to learn as much as we can using all the experience from this year to keep pushing forward for next season."
AS IT HAPPENED: United States Grand Prix
Rosberg takes pole as Q3 cancelled in Austin
Technical analysis: Exclusive pictures of the 2015 Honda power unit
Click here for the F1 drivers' girlfriends gallery
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
Aston Martin’s chief architect and team principal Adrian Newey believes Formula 1’s latest buzzword is…
Fresh from pre-season testing and with a world title now stitched onto his racing overalls,…
On this day in 1979, Jacques Laffite won the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos as…
George Russell is not hiding his appetite for a showdown this season in F1. In…
Williams may have missed the first public glimpse of Formula 1’s bold new era, but…
Mercedes technical director James Allison arrived in Barcelona last week bracing for chaos – and…