With the safety car off the track at the end of lap six and the pit lane opening as a result, the first few strategists attempted their method of pitting early to gain an advantage. These included Schneider, Jamie Green Gary Paffett and Christian Abt, the quartet all entering the pit lane within three laps of each other.
From here the order became increasingly tricky to fathom as strategies played out, but at the front Spengler, Hakkinen and Ekstrom began pulling out a gap, the trio leaving Premat behind.
Realising he was losing advantage, the Frenchman entered the pit lane on lap 19 but emerged comfortably behind Schneider – whom he was ahead of early on – and also Phoenix team-mate Abt, giving the first clues that an early pit strategy would prove the most beneficial. Spotting this, Hakkinen was into the pit lane immediately to negate the potential disadvantage but he too would return to the circuit just behind Schneider.
Perhaps at the surprise of seeing the silver car circulating in front of him, Hakkinen was back in the pit lane for his second stop just nine laps later, the Finn being followed by Lucas Luhr, Premat and Paffett in completing their mandatory stops early. The tactic worked when Schneider returned to the pit lane three laps later and emerged behind Hakkinen again.
Back at the front of the field, Spengler and Ekstrom were clear in front prompting them to make their first pit stops a lap apart, the two maintaining the status quo in an effective first and second, albeit with one more stop to do.
What followed was a determined flurry of laps intended to build a gap big enough to complete a pit stop, Ekstrom taking the plunge first by returning to the pit lane again 12 laps after his opening stop. However, the Swede had not done enough and slotted in a comfortable distance behind Hakkinen and Schneider in the lead.
![Bernd Schneider holds Martin Tomczyk at bay for his first win of the season [pic credit: DTM Media]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/335667.jpg)
