Valentino Rossi was helꦗpless to prevent Andrea Iannone and a place on the Austin MotoGP podiu💝m inch away from him during Sunday's race at COTA.

The Movistar Yamaha rider realised Marc Marquez and Maverick 🐠Vinales were a step ahead, but thought he had the pace to challenge the Suzuki rider.

However the hotter race day temperatures saw Roওssi on the limit in the fast corners and he remained in fourth position from lap 2 to the chequered flag, crossing the line almost three-seconds from Iannone and four in front of championship leader Andrea Dovizioso.

"🥂It was a good weekend, because I was always in theꦕ top five," Rossi began. "But in the race, I hoped and I expected to be a bit stronger to try to fight for the podium.

"I know that Márquez and Maverick were a bit stronger. But I hope that I was fast enough to fight for the🐻 podium with Iannone, but Andrea was faster than me and I was not able to arrive to atta🍌ck.

"I hoped to have 2m 5.5, 2m 6 pa🔯ce because Friday afternoon and also Saturday afternoon I was on that pace. And I know that with that pace I can fight for the podium, the target w💧as to fight for the podium.

"But unfo😼rtunately I suffered more wit🌠h the heat, especially with the front tyre.

"I never suffered during the practice, but today, especially in the fast corners, I was too much on the limit. So I had to slow down a little bit, try to stay close to Iannone for the podium, but he was stronger 🐲than me.

"At t🐓🐼he end unfortunately, I wasn't able to fight."

Like the majority of the field, incᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚluding the three riders on t𒊎he rostrum, Rossi chose to race the medium compound front tyre.

"We need maybe to make a different balance of the bike maybe, because for us, the hard front doesn't work," he said, before ruling out the bumpy track as t🔥he problem.

"The bumps are there for everybody, and they were also there on Friday and Satu💮rday, but o♏n Friday and Saturday, I felt better. For me it was more the temperature."

Although 'not completely happy' Rossi was pleased to see two (edit) Yamahas in the top four - and thr🎀ee in the top six, counting Tech3's Johann Zarco - at a circuit where they have never won.

"It means that we are 💟quite competitive," he said.

"Now it will be very important to understand our speed in Europe, because 🔯in Europe everything will cꦚhange. Last year we suffered a lot, so already from Jerez, we can understand if we are faster.

"I think and I hope that we can be more🃏 🌌competitive, but we have to wait for next week."

Rossi is seventh in the world championship, 17 points behind Dovizi🌌oso, after the non-score in Argentina.