Enea Bastianini says he “pushed like never” to ensure he beat Marc Marquꦛez in their battle for second in th♚e MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix sprint.

The factory Ducati rider made a 𒐪good launch from fourth on the grid to move up to second at Turn 1, though was soon overtake🎶n by Tech3’s Pedro Acosta.

Bastianini found himself locked in a heate🌟d battle with Gresini Ducati’s Marqu🧔ez in the last laps over second after Acosta crashed out of the lead, with the pair swapping positions at Turns 9, 10 and 11 on the penultimate tour.

Marquez ultimately had to conceded defeat, while a slow last lap for Bagnaia meant Bas🎉tianini was only 0.181s away from victory.

“Has been a nic🧸e fight today,” Bastianini told TNT Sport.

“I wasn’t confident to do a gre💙at race like I did today.

“Well, it’s improving my pace because on the time atಌtack I was good🦹 but for the pace it was so and so.

“Then in the end arrived this fi🍎ght in the last two laps with Marc. I commit a small mistake at Turn 9 and ൲Marc entered.

“We arrived very close🔥 together at Turn 11, he released the brake a bit - me too. And again anothe💛r time.

“But in the end I was in a bet꧙ter line and I pushed all the last lap like never and I won this fight. Second place is good.”

Bastianini’s runner-up spot in the sprint has kept him in third in the standings, five points clear of Mar🔜quez.

But their fight to complete the championship top three is not something that Bastianini is thinking about a𒉰head of Sunday’s g😼rand prix.

“Every time it’s important to fight and usually I don’t check anything🍌 on the 𝐆classification,” he added.

🦩“I have only my objective inside my mind and 🍃it’s always to arrive on top.

“Tomorrow we have to adjust a bit the set-up because at the end my rear tyre, especially on the right side, wꩲas destroyed.

“And tomorrow the ❀race will probably be with the medium. So, we have to check the datꦗa to do it again.”