Esteban Ocon says crash cost him victory in Macau F3 GP

The pair banged wheels as they turned through the right-hander, with the collision breaking Ocon's left front suspension.

Unable to steer his car, Ocon then ran off into the barriers at San Francisco bend, taking Blomqvist with him and triggering a spectacular pile-up that brought out the red flags.

Ocon said the situation was particularly annoying because he felt set-up changes to his car had given him what he needed to win.

"I did everything I planned to do," Ocon told AUTOSPORT. "I did a great start.

"At Mandarin I was on the outside to get a tow, so everything was perfect until then.

"Under braking [for Lisboa], I was on the inside so I was going to take the lead because Lucas [Auer] went straight on.

"Then, I don't know what Tom did because I was on the kerb but he kept steering.

"He broke my front left suspension and, after that, I couldn't steer and we both crashed into the wall because my wheel was broken. It was bad luck for me."

He added: "If I got P1 there then, and if there was no safety car, then I was really confident of the win.

"It is a shame because all before I wasn't taking any risk. The car wasn't at its best either. But we arrived at the final and I took a bit more risk, and everything went perfect.

"The car was great. It was feeling great in the city in the corners and also on the straight line, so it is a shame because the team did good work in the end.

"And everything was ruined. I am sadder for them than for me."