Tech 3 Yamaha's Cal Crutchlow preferred to focus on the positives after he was denied a potential rostrum finish when his M1 ran out of fuel on the fi൲nal lap at Motegi.

It was a🌃 crushing blow for the British MotoGP rider, who was lining up an attacking move on Alvaro Bautista when his satellite Yamaha spluttered to a halt.

The pair had wowed fans in Japan with a thrilling battle to set up a last-lap showdown, but it wasn't to be as cruel misfortun💛e ended📖 Crutchlow's race in disappointing fashion.

However, the 26-year-old chose to look on the bright side꧃ after a golden chance to seize his second podium of the campaign went🉐 begging.

"All I can do afte🌜r the way the race finished is take the positives from this weekend and there are a lot," said Crutchlow.

"This isn't a good track for me and I was struggling on Friday, yet I managed to get on the front row of the grid again🔴 and for the whole race I was fighting for the podium.

"The improvements we made fr𓃲om Friday w🉐ere massive and I am proud of the job that my crew and myself did this weekend.

"But there is no denying that🐓 I am disappointed as well because I was confident I could have passed Alvaro on the last lap," he added.

"It wouldn't have been easy because he was riౠding very well and it was a very enjoyable battle with him.

"I had a lot of funꦜ and I'm sure he did too and it is just unfor🧜tunate that we couldn't take the fight right to the very end."

Crutchlow's aim of finishing fifth 🍷in th✨e championship standings has also suffered a significant setback after his unfortunate DNF in Japan.

"Even fourth would have been good for myℱ hopes of finishing fifth in the c🔯hampionship but I lost a lot of points today.

"We k❀new fuel consumption was going to be critical. I was very fast and for almost the whole rac🌠e I was on my own with no slipstream, so I used more fuel," Crutchlow added.

"I've proven again though that I can fight with the best in t🦄he world and now I'm looking forward to Sepang.

"I had two good tests there earlier this year and I'm excited to ꦆgo back and tr✤y to battle for the top three again."