Haug: Schumachers Showed Their Greatness

Mercedes motorsport vice president Norbert Haug has praised the Schumacher brothers after their performance in today's San Marino Grand Prix.

"I feel terribly sorry for the Schumacher brothers," Haug told Germany's RTL network after the race. "But they showed everyone their greatness today when, of all people, those two had such a great fight at the start. They're great boys."

World Champion Michael Schumacher and his younger brother Ralf competed in today's race despite the death of their mother hours earlier. The Ferrari driver, wearing a black arm band on the victory podium, started the race after dashing with his younger brother Ralf to mother Elisabeth's hospital bedside in Cologne for a final farewell on Saturday evening.

She died on Sunday morning, aged 55.

Michael went on to win the race and he kept his helmet on as he was led away from the finish area by Ferrari team boss Jean Todt, the Frenchman's arm lightly on his shoulder. It was his 65th career win and Ferrari's 160th. Schumacher fought back the tears as the German anthem sounded. He did not spray the champagne, which was left unopened by all three drivers.

The champion, without a podium finish since his last victory at the 2002 season-ending Japanese Grand Prix, had started on pole position with Ralf's Williams alongside him on a family front row. For a while it seemed as if fate was steering Ralf, his mother's 'little one' who said in a statement on Saturday that he thought about Elisabeth every step of the way in qualifying, towards a poignant victory.

But the army of red-shirted 'tifosi' had their wishes granted when Ralf came in for his first pitstop two laps before his older brother, allowing Ferrari to go one and two before their own round of refuelling. Ralf finished fourth, his hopes of joining Michael on the podium dashed when Barrichello muscled his way past at the end of lap 52.