With this performance, the Italian moves up one position into second place in the championship, just 21 points shy of championship leader Jorge Martin.

Despite a decent start, ‘The Beast’ found himself struggling to maintain the pace with the riders up front, but in the later laps, Enea Bastianini was the fastest rider on track, not named Maverick Vinales.

The Italian rider made a clean sequence of moves on Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin to finish third in the Grand Prix of Americas.

“Yeah, it’s a beautiful [feeling] to be on the podium,” said Enea Bastianini. “Because from yesterday, the objective of today was to try to do a top-five result.”

“My confidence is growing lap by lap, and my strongest point is the last part of the race. I was strong at the end, and it’s good to be on the podium.”

Enea Bastianini was adamant from day one that the GP24 package works better for his riding style as compared to last year’s package which he struggled with. However, the Italian also emphasized the importance of his improved physical condition, which is making a huge difference for him this season.

“The difference is a little bit in how the engine works when the engine brakes and the chassis is also a little bit different, but I also think my physical condition is better compared to last year. [Other than that] the 24-package package for me is better.”

“It’s been really hard this race [physically], and it was also important for me to understand my shoulder. I can be very happy about this [improvement] and during this winter I worked very well with my trainer to be prepared for races like this one.”

When asked about his prospects of winning the world championship, the Italian replied:

“It’s only the third Grand Prix, and it can change, but it’s good to start like this for my motivation and for my mind.”