Thompson critical of Farfus contact

Thompson was leading with two laps to go when Farfus attempted to pass him at Maternity Bend and sent the Honda into the barriers.

"I've never seen anyone overtake there, ever," he said. "And he tried. Obviously, he just drove straight into the side of the car and smacked me into the wall. And that was it - broken suspension on the left side.

"I am devastated about what could have been an amazing end to the season. We've been giving it 100 per cent and I couldn't have driven it any harder or I'd have made a mistake myself. And to get put in the wall, it has happened too many times this year - where we've been in a good position and people have just bundled us off the track."

The crash had wider ramifications when Thompson tried to get the car back to the pits, leaving a trail of fluid on the track that caused several other cars to crash on the final lap, handing Chevrolet's Rob Huff an unexpected win.

"I thought it was the last lap so I was trying to get it back," Thompson explained. "And I was not seeing many people go past me - which was really strange.

"I'd checked on the dash for any leaks and everything seemed to be fine, so I thought, 'I'll try to limp it back', and nobody was coming past. Soon there were two or three cars, then four - Zanardi went past, but I don't remember many more. But as it transpired, I still had a lap to go."