Bianchi Breaks GP2 Duck In Silverstone Feature Race

Jules Bianchi finally scored his first victory in the main GP2 Series with a controlled performance in the feature race at Silverstone. Starting from pole position, the ART driver held on through an exciting mid-race battle with Christian Vietoris on a drying circuit to get his season back on track.

Heavy rain before the start of the race caused a delayed start, with the race beginning behind the safety car once it did get underway. The field was let go after three laps behind the safety car, and Bianchi soon built up a good gap over second placed Alvaro Parente.

Parente was passed by Racing Engineering driver Vietoris on lap seven, and the German set about chasing down Bianchi for the lead. Pitting for slick tyres before the Frenchman, Vietoris was right up behind Bianchi once the leader had made his stop.

Vietoris passed Bianchi at Luffield one lap later, only for Bianchi to nose his car down the inside at Copse to regain the lead.

Vietoris stayed with him down the Hangar straight and went around the outside of his rival at Stowe. Bianchi wasn't going to give up easily though and dived down the inside of Vietoris under breaking for the next corner at Vale.

From there Bianchi was able to pull a lead over Vietoris, winning the race by four seconds. Vietoris was caught by both Marcus Ericsson and Romain Grosjean in the closing stages, but held onto second.

Ericsson was running in fifth before the pitstops but made up two places courtesy of stopping for slick tyres earlier than Dani Clos and Parente ahead of him.

Grosjean meanwhile moved through the field from 13^th on the grid due to a penalty carried over from Valencia. He made up a number of places at the start before taking further places during the pitstops.

Sam Bird finished in fifth place after passing Clos in the closing stages. Stefano Coletti used an early pitstop to finish seventh after starting in 21^st on the grid. Giedo van der Garde took eighth position after moving through from 19^th on the grid, holding off a late charge from Parente.

Feature race results – 29 laps: