Perhaps an impossible demand given the two title contenders exchanged the lead of the rac🔥e on nearly every lap of Race 2, however, Rinaldi was very close to join that fi𝐆ght with just a few laps to go.

After starting from sixth, Rinaldi made quick progress before slotting into P3 behind Bautista an🐓d Razgatlioglu.

• Rea: ‘I made errors in both races, sorry to destroy Vierge and ඣRedding’s ▨race’ 
• Razgatlioglu: ‘Alvaro wasn’t very str🅘ong, I’m re𓃲ally angry’

Rinaldi’s pace was very stro🍌ng, so🌃mething we didn’t get to see from him in Race 1 after suffering a technical issue.

And while he was happy to 🦄claim a pꦏodium, the Italian was hoping for more.

“It has been a really good race and I pushed a l💃ot to achieve this podium,” said Rinaldi after Race 2. “At one poiꩲnt I thought about getting in that fight for the win but I wasn’t able to. So I enjoyed the view. 

“This weekend has been really unlucky becau🔥se yesterday I made second place durಞing qualifying but because of the yellow flag I had to start from 12th. 

“Then I started the race with that commitment to try and finish the race in the top po💯sitions, but after some laps when I was improving my position my bike had a technical problem and I had to retire. 

“In the Superpole Race the mentality was ‘you don’t have many laps to try🧜 and fight for the win but you🔯 have a good pace so start to gain positions for Race 2’. 

“We were able to finish sixth and then in Race 2 I just gave my best. Happy about this pod𝔍ium but losing the chance twice [of fighting for🐠 the win] is more.”

If Rinaldi could have joine💜d the battle for the win and finished ahead of Razgatlioglu, it would have meant Bautista was crowned world champion, so long as the Spaniard won the race.

But Rinaldi was not thinking💧 about helping his teammatꦯe, but rather his own performance. 

“I knew that iඣf I finished second and Alvaro won that he would be world champion,” added the Italian. “I was aware of that but my focus w🌞as trying to ride the bike the best I could. 

“When I close꧙d the g𒐪ap to them it was because they were battling really hard. 

“When they didn’t do that my gap was the same. So I just thouꦅght about that for a fraction of a second.”