Nico Rosberg is confident he can bounce back from his disappointment in Russia at this weekend’s United States GP.

The German was forced to retire in Sochi due to an early throttle problem and as a result fell further behind his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton in standings.

It means the championship leader heads across the Atlantic as the 1.50 favourite to win the race at a venue where he triumphed 12 months ago.

The Circuit of the Americas is one of the most unpredictable on the calendar with its combination of long straights and high speed corners making it a real test of skill.

Rosberg, who is 3.20 to win in America, took pole in Austin last year before losing out to Hamilton and knows he needs to claim the chequered flag on Sunday if he is to keep his feint hopes of winning the title alive.

Despite the situation, the 30-year-old is in determined mood and says he is looking forward to fighting for the top step of the podium.

He told Mercedes’ official website: “With four races left and a big gap to Lewis, it is clear that the title is a long shot for me now. But it is not in me to give up or back down so I’ll be pushing flat out to the end and hopefully having some fun out there in the final few rounds this year.

“Austin is definitely somewhere that you can have fun too, so I’m looking forward to going back there. It is a great track to drive, I got pole there last year, and I’m coming off the back of a really strong weekend in Russia in terms of performance, so if I can repeat that then I’ll be in a good position.”