The Honda rider pushed Casey Stoner hard for the lead in the first half of the race, but then lost pace and was passed for second by Valentino Rossi on the last lap.
Hayden revealed that Michelin had advised him to use a harder compound, but he felt more comfortable on his preferred softer tyre. He tried the harder tyre again on his reconnaissance lap, before finally deciding to stick with the soft rubber when he got to the grid.
"There was not much left at the end, but that's the way it goes," Hayden told BBC television.
"I chose the tyre I'd been planning on using all weekend, and after the warm-up Michelin warned me to go harder, but I just had no confidence in that tyre, so I went with my tyre.
"The bike was good, the team did a great job. Early on I was hanging right in there and it felt good. Rossi came at me and there wasn't a lot I could do, but I'll take it. Sure I'd love to be fighting to win, but it's all good."
After a miserable start to 2008, Hayden has now taken two podiums in the last three races and has moved up from 11th in the championship to sixth.
"We're trying to salvage what we can from this season," he said. "It was so hard early on, but it's never over. You keep fighting, never give up, keep pushing and try to get some more good results before the final race."
Hayden will leave Honda at the end of the season to join Stoner at Ducati for 2009.
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