Schumacher Takes Emotional Win at Imola

World Champion Michael Schumacher produced an impressively composed performance on his Ferrari team's home soil to claim victory in Sunday's San Marino Grand Prix on the day his mother Elisabeth passed away.

Schumacher, who was told of the news early on Sunday morning after visiting her bedside in Cologne with his brother Ralf on Saturday night, held his emotions together to score his first win of the year.

After a disastrous start to the season had seen the once dominant champion score just eight points from three races, Schumacher made sure that, despite the circumstances, he returned Formula One to normal service with victory at Imola.

He finished 1.8 seconds ahead of Finn Kimi Raikkonen, of McLaren-Mercedes, who retains his championship lead by 13 points, with Brazilian Rubens Barrichello claiming third spot in the second Ferrari in what could be the final race at Imola.

Sadly, Ralf Schumacher failed to make it a double family podium tribute when he finished fourth in the Williams-BMW after starting alongside his brother on the front row.

Scot David Coulthard finished fifth in the second McLaren-Mercedes, with Spaniard Fernando Alonso sixth for Renault, Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya seventh in the second Williams and Briton Jenson Button claiming the final point for BAR Honda.

Ralf Schumacher moved into the lead as the field headed into the first chicane when he out-dragged his brother Michael's Ferrari off the line after a long wait for the lights to come on. Both Jaguars had a disastrous start, however, when Brazilian Antonio Pizzonia was left on the grid and Australian Mark Webber, who had to change the bite point on his car as he headed to fifth place on the grid, dropped to 11th place.

Barrichello held station to tuck into third place behind the racing brothers with Montoya, in the second Williams, fourth and Finn Raikkonen up to fifth in the McLaren. Schumacher junior came under pressure from his brother in the opening laps but pulled away until his first pitstop, at the end of lap 16, when he was stationary for 6.4 seconds and then almost stalled as he tried to get away.

That left the two Ferraris in first and second, with Michael in the lead and Barrichello second until the Brazilian came in for fuel on lap 17 and failed to come out ahead of Ralf's Williams. Michael lost the lead to Finn Raikkonen one lap later when he stopped for 8.2 seconds and came out ahead of his brother after putting in his usual impressive in-lap to gain precious seconds.

Coulthard, who started from ninth one place behind teammate Raikkonen and had made his way up to second place through the pitstop period, dropped back when he pitted at the end of lap 21 and stopped for 9.8 seconds. Race leader Raikkonen was the next man in, one lap later, and his stop of 8.6 seconds dropped him down to fourth behind new leader Michael Schumacher, Ralf Schumacher and Barrichello as Montoya dropped to fifth ahead of Coulthard.

Briton Justin Wilson became the second retirement of the race on lap 25 when he parked his Minardi in the pits after the fuel rig failed. Canadian BAR Honda driver Jacques Villeneuve had stopped beside the track five laps earlier.

Michael Schumacher extended his lead to a comfortable 10 seconds as his brother dropped into the clutches of Ferrari's Barrichello in the second stint of the race. Montoya began the pitstops again at the end of lap 30 but his stop suffered when the fuel filler failed and the team managed to get him out in 11.6 seconds â€" but they had not filled him up with fuel.

Ralf stopped one lap later and returned to the track after a successful 7.8-second stop but Montoya had to return to the pit again and a stop of 7.6 seconds dropped him out of contention. Barrichello stopped for 8.2 seconds at the end of the 33rd lap but still failed to get past Schumacher junior and slotted back into the race behind the Williams.

Michael stopped on lap 34 and his brief stop brought him out right in front of Raikkonen, whose McLaren team had elected for a two-stop race compared to their rivals' three stoppers. That left Schumacher senior with a one second lead ahead of Raikkonen with both still to stop, while Ralf Schumacher, Barrichello and Coulthard completed the top five.

Raikkonen was two seconds behind Schumacher when he pitted on lap 44 and stopped for 10.4 seconds when he lost time after the automatic pit exit mechanism appeared to have a problem. Coulthard stopped one lap later for 7.6 seconds.

Ralf Schumacher pitted on lap 48 for his final stop and his 6.8 seconds standstill ensured he stayed well ahead of Coulthard as the Ferrari pair sat in first and second. Leader Michael Schumacher stopped for exactly seven seconds when he pitted at the end of lap 49 and just dropped behind Barrichello with the Brazilian pushing to get ahead of Ralf Schumacher through his final stop.

But his efforts were thwarted when Barrichello stopped on lap 50 because a problem with his left front tyre forced the team to hold him stationary in the pits for 13.3 seconds as Ralf Schumacher sped past on the racetrack.

That left Schumacher in the lead with Raikkonen second but Barrichello moved up to third when he passed Ralf on the main straight after the German made a mistake at the first Rivazza corner on lap 53. The unfortunate Ralph Firman became the fourth retirement of the afternoon when he parked his smoking Jordan Ford on lap 55, 13 laps after Jos Verstappen had stopped in his Minardi.

Webber, who had been running ninth after a disappointing start, was the next man to drop out on the next lap as his Jaguar coasted to a halt and Giancarlo Fisichella parked his smoking Jordan with three laps to go.

PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS

The San Marino Grand Prix Imola, Bologna; 62 laps; 305.609km; Weather: Warm and dry. Classified: Pos Driver Team-Engine Tyres Time 1. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1h 28:12.058 2. Raikkonen McLaren Mercedes (M) + 1.882 3. Barrichello Ferrari (B) + 2.291 4. R.Schumacher Williams BMW (M) + 8.803 5. Coulthard McLaren Mercedes (M) + 9.411 6. Alonso Renault (M) + 43.689 7. Montoya Williams BMW (M) + 45.271 8. Button BAR Honda (B) + 1 lap 9. Panis Toyota (M) + 1 lap 10. Heidfeld Sauber Petronas (B) + 1 lap 11. Frentzen Sauber Petronas (B) + 1 lap 12. da Matta Toyota (M) + 1 lap 13. Trulli Renault (M) + 1 lap 14. Pizzonia Jaguar Cosworth (M) + 2 laps 15. Fisichella Jordan Ford (B) + 5 laps Fastest lap: M. Schumacher, 1:22.491 Not Classified/Retirements: Driver Team On Lap Webber Jaguar Cosworth (M) 54 Firman Jordan Ford (B) 51 Verstappen Minardi Cosworth (B) 39 Wilson Minardi Cosworth (B) 23 Villeneuve BAR Honda (B) 19 World Championship Standing, Round 4: Drivers: Constructors: 1. Raikkonen 32 1. McLaren-Mercedes 51 2. Coulthard 19 2. Ferrari 32 3. M.Schumacher 18 3. Renault 26 4. Alonso 17 4. Williams-BMW 23 5. Barrichello 14 5. Jordan-Ford 10 6. R.Schumacher 13 6. Sauber 8 7. Fisichella 10 7. BAR-Honda 6 =. Montoya 10 9. Trulli 9 10. Frentzen 7 11. Villeneuve 3 =. Button 3 13. Heidfeld 1 All timing unofficial