Nico Rosberg has admitted that Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton did a "better job" than him and "deserved" to be crowned world champion in Abu Dhabi.
Hamilton secured the second championship of his career by winning the final race of the season on Sunday.
Rosberg needed to finish above the Brit to have any hope of snatching the title, but after suffering mechanical problems with his Mercedes, the 29-year-old eventually crossed the line in 14th place.
"I'm very disappointed but all in all Lewis deserved to win the championship, that's clear," BBC Sport quotes Rosberg as saying. "All in all he just did a better job than me, especially in the races."
"It has been an incredible year and to be able to battle it out with Lewis has been great, although very intense sometimes.
"It was an intense battle but a great battle. It has been a great challenge for me. Sometimes it was not enjoyable, but all in all, a great year."
Meanwhile, Hamilton believes that Rosberg will come back "stronger" next season to try to snatch the title.
