A gas discharge lamp for a vehicle headlamp with - a quartz inner bulb with a discharge vessel and two pinched sealing sections (4, 5) arranged on the discharge vessel, - two electrodes (6, 7) protruding from the sealing sections (4, 5) into the discharge vessel which are each electrically connected in the associated pinched sealing section (4, 5) with a conductor (17, 18) in order to supply current to the electrodes (6, 7), and - an outer bulb which surrounds the discharge vessel leaving a cavity between the discharge vessel and the outer bulb, - characterized in that a conductive structure 13) is arranged potential-free on the outside of the inner bulb close to only one of the two electrodes (6, 7) in the transitional area between the discharge vessel and the associated pinched sealing section (4, 5) or on or directly behind of, as seen from the discharge vessel, the associated pinched sealing section (4, 5), which conductive structure, on application of an ignition voltage to the electrodes (6, 7), influences the electrical field present in the area of the one electrode close to the conductive structure such that a discharge arc travels from that electrode first in the direction of a wall section of the discharge vessel adjacent to that electrode and then over the inside of the wall towards the other electrode. - a quartz inner bulb with a discharge vessel and two pinched sealing sections (4, 5) arranged on the discharge vessel, - two electrodes (6, 7) protruding from the sealing sections (4, 5) into the discharge vessel which are each electrically connected in the associated pinched sealing section (4, 5) with a conductor (17, 18) in order to supply current to the electrodes (6, 7), and - an outer bulb which surrounds the discharge vessel leaving a cavity between the discharge vessel and the outer bulb, - characterized in that a conductive structure 13) is arranged potential-free on the outside of the inner bulb close to only one of the two electrodes (6, 7) in the transitional area between the discharge vessel and the associated pinched sealing section (4, 5) or on or directly behind of, as seen from the discharge vessel, the associated pinched sealing section (4, 5), which conductive structure, on application of an ignition voltage to the electrodes (6, 7), influences the electrical field present in the area of the one electrode close to the conductive structure such that a discharge arc travels from that electrode first in the direction of a wall section of the discharge vessel adjacent to that electrode and then over the inside of the wall towards the other electrode. - an outer bulb which surrounds the discharge vessel leaving a cavity between the discharge vessel and the outer bulb, - characterized in that a conductive structure 13) is arranged potential-free on the outside of the inner bulb close to only one of the two electrodes (6, 7) in the transitional area between the discharge vessel and the associated pinched sealing section (4, 5) or on or directly behind of, as seen from the discharge vessel, the associated pinched sealing section (4, 5), which conductive structure, on application of an ignition voltage to the electrodes (6, 7), influences the electrical field present in the area of the one electrode close to the conductive structure such that a discharge arc travels from that electrode first in the direction of a wall section of the discharge vessel adjacent to that electrode and then over the inside of the wall towards the other electrode.