Nurburgring GP2: Marcus Ericsson finally takes first win with DAMS

Despite setting two pole positions this year, DAMS driver Ericsson had scored just one point in a race, but finally it all came good for him in Germany.

He won by 7.8 seconds over James Calado of ART.

Starting on the medium-compound tyre, Ericsson took the lead on the opening lap but the race was quickly neutralised by a safety car after Kevin Ceccon was launched into a roll after clipping Daniel Abt and Nat Berthon, and then piled into the back of the stalled Adrian Quaife-Hobbs. All were unhurt.

At the restart, Ericsson pulled well clear, leading by over 3s when he made his mandatory pitstop.

Team-mate Stephane Richelmi, who started from pole, lost his chance of second place when his front jackman fell over in his pitstop, and he slipped down the order behind Felipe Nasr, Calado and Robin Frijns.

Calado passed Nasr and closed to gap to Ericsson to 4s, but his tyres went off in the closing stages so he settled for second.

Nasr went backwards, tumbling down the lap chart to finish ninth as his decision to stop for new medium-compound tyres (having started on super-softs) at the first opportunity came back to bite him.

The battle for third was nothing short of sensational. Points leader Stefano Coletti claimed it after charging through from 13th on the grid.

He banged wheels with a very defensive Frijns at the chicane on the final lap, the two then making nose-to-tail contact at the last corner.

As Frijns lost momentum, allowing Coletti to escape for the final spot on the podium, Fabio Leimer and Richelmi also steamed past him. The quartet were covered by just two tenths at the finish line.

Jon Lancaster and Tom Dillmann finished seventh and eighth respectively, so Dillmann will take reversed-grid pole for Sunday's sprint race. His feature effort was compromised when he stalled after his pitstop.

Results - 32 laps:

Pos  Driver               Team                    Time/Gap
 1.  Marcus Ericsson      DAMS                1h00m16.988s
 2.  James Calado         ART                      +7.860s
 3.  Stefano Coletti      Rapax                   +14.915s
 4.  Fabio Leimer         Racing Engineering      +15.061s
 5.  Stephane Richelmi    DAMS                    +15.119s
 6.  Robin Frijns         Hilmer                  +15.272s
 7.  Jon Lancaster        Hilmer                  +17.156s
 8.  Tom Dillmann         Russian Time            +17.823s
 9.  Felipe Nasr          Carlin                  +24.265s
10.  Johnny Cecotto Jr    Arden                   +24.333s
11.  Alexander Rossi      Caterham                +26.797s
12.  Sergio Canamasas     Caterham                +27.221s
13.  Sam Bird             Russian Time            +31.518s
14.  Simon Trummer        Rapax                   +31.592s
15.  Daniel de Jong       MP                      +33.904s
16.  Mitch Evans          Arden                   +34.142s
17.  Nathanel Berthon     Trident                 +36.142s
18.  Rio Haryanto         Addax                   +43.318s
19.  Fabrizio Crestani    Lazarus                 +45.117s
20.  Rene Binder          Lazarus                 +45.498s
21.  Daniel Abt           ART                     +58.723s
22.  Julian Leal          Racing Engineering      +59.186s
23.  Jake Rosenzweig      Addax                 +1m08.725s
24.  Jolyon Palmer        Carlin                +1m42.868s

Retirements:

     Adrian Quaife-Hobbs  MP                        0 laps
     Kevin Ceccon         Trident                   0 laps