2007 Nürburgring Feature Race

The 2007 Nürburgring Feature Race, formally known as the 2007 Nürburgring GP2 Series Race 1, was the tenth race of the 2007 FIA GP2 Series, staged at the Nürburgring in Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on 21 July 2007. Held in support of the European Grand Prix, the race would see Timo Glock end the nine-race streak of different race winners by claiming his second victory of the campaign.

Qualifying had seen Glock storm to pole position for his home race by over half a second, bringing an end to a three-race pointless run in spectacular fashion. Lucas di Grassi was Glock's closest challenger in second, while Giorgio Pantano and Adrian Zaugg would share the second row.

The start of the race saw Glock get caught out by a fast starting di Grassi, failing to fend off the Brazilian racer as the #2 ART scythed past into turn one. Pantano almost managed to take Glock too but was on the wrong side entering the hairpin first corner, while behind Sébastien Buemi clammed into Luca Filippi after misjudging his braking point.

After that the race quickly settled, although several drivers would make surprise calls to make early stops for new tyres as soon as the pit-window opened given the Eifel circuit's harsh nature. Yet, those in the top half of the field would resist the temptation, with di Grassi establishing as small lead over Glock, while the German racer eased clear of Pastor Maldonado and Pantano as they squabbled over third.

Having found himself stuck behind Maldonado for the opening stages, Pantano became the first of the leaders to stop when he swept in on lap six, shadowed by Zaugg. di Grassi, meanwhile, would wait a further three laps before making his stop, releasing Glock who gambled on jumping the Brazilian as di Grassi left the pits with cold tyres.

Glock pushed hard for two laps while di Grassi warmed up his tyres, before sweeping into the pits himself on lap eleven. A quick stop combined with the brief tyre advantage would allow the #5 iSport International to emerge ahead of di Grassi's #2 ART in ninth place, while Pantano had closed right onto their collective tail.

Those stops allowed Maldonado to briefly take control of the race, with teammate Kohei Hirate making it a one-two for Trident Racing before their stops. Behind, Glock found himself stuck behind a very defensive Jason Tahincioğlu, although he was saved harassment from behind as di Grassi was occupied with having to keep Kazuki Nakajima behind.

Once the rest of the field stopped Glock was left in the lead ahead of di Grassi, with the German racer easing clear once he got rid of Tahincioğlu. Elsewhere, Adam Carroll and Bruno Senna removed themselves from contention by colliding at the first corner, while Maldonado and Hirate narrowly avoided contact after their brief run in the sun.

With that the race was run, with Glock scampering clear to claim a measured victory, two seconds clear of di Grassi and Nakajima when the chequered flag fell. di Grassi, meanwhile, would just keep Nakajima at bay to secure second, before a fifteen second wait until Pantano crossed the line in fourth. Hirate and Maldonado were next up ahead of Zaugg, while Javier Villa won a four way shootout in the closing stages to claim eighth and reverse-grid pole for the Sprint Race.

Background
Two weeks after leaving the flat airfield that formed the Silverstone Circuit, the 2007 FIA GP2 Series field arrived in the Eifel Mountains for its sixth round of the season, using the GP-Strecke at the fearsome Nürburgring. The meeting, which was staged in support of the European Grand Prix, was the Series' third visit to the circuit, having raced there in both 2005 and 2006. However, while the circuit looked familiar, there would be a change to the entry list, with two drivers returning after sitting out the previous round.

Racing Revolutions
The first change came at Racing Engineering, where Ernesto Viso was confirmed to be making his return after passing a fitness test ahead of the weekend. The Venezuelan racer had suffered a mild concussion after a spectacular accident on the opening lap of the 2007 Magny-Cours Feature Race, which had seen him skate across the top of a concrete barrier upside down. He hence replaced his temporary stand-in Filipe Albuquerque, with the Portuguese racer returning to his duties in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series.

Elsewhere, Racing Engineering also announced that Thor-Christian Ebbesvik would test for them in October, the Norwegian youngster being rewarded for his strong run in Spanish F3.

Red Bull Wrangles
In contrast, a seemingly fit driver would be replaced at ART Grand Prix, as Red Bull toyed with their roster of junior drivers. Indeed, Michael Ammermüller was the unfortunate victim, with both Red Bull and ART declaring that the German racer had yet to fully recover from the wrist injury he had sustained in the Opening round of the season. His spot was handed to Sébastien Buemi once again, who had been one of two drivers to sub for Ammermüller before he returned in Magny-Cours.

Silver Linings
Another non-score for Timo Glock had caused the German racer to lose the majority of his Championship lead leaving Silverstone, although he still held a two point advantage at the head of the hunt. Indeed, Lucas di Grassi had only managed to close onto the German's tail rather than overhaul him, while Luca Filippi had remained four points behind having dropped out of the points late on during the Silverstone Sprint. Bruno Senna and Giorgio Pantano, meanwhile, had both failed to score but remained in fourth and fifth, while Adam Carroll had broken into the top ten with victory.

iSport International had retained the initiative in the Teams' Championship leaving Silverstone, having moved onto a tally of 59 points for the campaign. Super Nova Racing had moved closer to their compatriots, leaving their home round twelve behind, while ART Grand Prix had also reduced their deficit to the leaders to sixteen. Behind Campos Grand Prix and Arden International had retained their top five status, while DAMS and Trident Racing had moved closer.

Entry List
The full entry list for the is displayed below:

Qualifying
Qualifying for the inaugural GP2 Series race would be staged via a thirty minute session on Friday afternoon, ahead of the Feature Race on Saturday. All 24 drivers would venture onto the circuit during the session, and were allowed to complete as many laps as they could to set their qualifying time. There was also a free choice of tyres, although drivers could not exceed their allocation of Bridgestone tyres.

Results
The final qualifying result for the are outlined below:

Results
The final classification of the is displayed below:
 * Bold indicates a driver started from pole.
 * Italics indicate that a driver set fastest lap.

Milestones

 * Timo Glock claimed his fourth FIA GP2 Series victory.
 * iSport International secured their seventh win as an entrant.
 * Maiden points finish for Kohei Hirate.
 * Mike Conway recorded his maiden fastest lap.

Standings
Timo Glock's return to the points, the podium and the winner's circle came at a crucial moment in the Championship, for it ensured that the German racer extended his lead for the first time in four races. Indeed, the German youth's advantage had grown to six points ahead of the Sprint, although Lucas di Grassi had effectively kept his title rival in check by finishing second. Luca Filippi, in contrast, had slipped sixteen off the lead after failing to score, with Giorgio Pantano and Bruno Senna likewise having lost ground.

iSport International had likewise managed to extend their lead in the Teams' Championship after Glock's triumph, the British squad's lead opening out to twenty points as the season reached its halfway point. ART Grand Prix, meanwhile, had moved back into second in their wake, having overhauled Super Nova Racing by three points after the first battle in the Eifel Mountains. Campos Grand Prix and Arden International then completed the top five, while points had again eluded Carlin DPR and BCN Competición.

Only point scoring drivers are shown.