Michael Schumacher scored an emotional first victory of the season at the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola today just hours after his and brother Ralf's mother had died following a long illness.

The brothers-in-arms raced after rushing back to Germany yesterday to pay a final visit to 55-year-old Elisabeth at her hospital bedside in Cologne before she died in the early hours of this morning.

The Schumachers had started alongside each other on the front row of the grid - but it was the five-time world champion who emerged triumphant at the end of what must have been a difficult afternoon.

Schumacher's 65th career victory ended his error-strewn start to the season and gave him and Ferrari their first win since the final race of last year.

The 34-year-old victory by 1.8 seconds from McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen reduced his deficit to the championship pacesetting Finn by just two points to 14 after four of this season's 16 grands prix.

Brazil's Rubens Barrichello finished third in the other Ferrari after overtaking the Williams-BMW of Schumacher junior after a terrific battle in the final chicane with just nine laps of the 62-lap race left.

Scotland's David Coulthard finished fifth as the McLaren duo opted for a two-stop strategy compared to the three adopted by Ferrari and Williams having qualified lower down to the grid than their rivals.

Renault's Fernando Alonso was sixth with Juan Pablo Montoya seventh in the other Williams while Jenson Button picked up the final point with eighth place for BAR-Honda.

Ralph Firman retired his Jordan late on while Justin Wilson was left still looking for a Formula One finish after his Minardi stalled during his first pit-stop with mechanics unable to reignite the engine.

But the day was dominated by the Schumachers, who decided to race despite the emotional difficulties of having lost their mother - who had been ill for some time and in hospital for over a week.

The brothers had been by her bedside before flying to Italy for the grand prix and jetted off there again yesterday after qualifying on the front row of the grid.

Ralf, who had arrived at the circuit this morning dressed in black, seized the lead from his older brother in the battle for the first corner.

But Michael, who had endured his worst ever start to a campaign, controlled the race once Ralf had made his first stop at the lend of lap 16 but lost crucial time with a stuttering start from his place in the pits.

The race was a return to the processional afternoons Ferrari gave the sport last year when the team won 15 of the 17 grand prix as they returned to form with aplomb with Schumacher able to ease off in the final laps.

Schumacher allowed himself the briefest of victory punches after sweeping across to the Ferrari technicians and mechanics as he crossed the finishing line.

Raikkonen's second place maintained his perfect appearance record on the podium this season and extended his lead in the championship to 13 points over Coulthard.

Schumacher, wearing a black armband, was embraced by Barrichello as he stepped out of the Ferrari cockpit after parking up his car.

FIA, the sport's world governing body, had excused the brothers from taking part in the drivers' parade beforehand and from the post-race ceremonies.

But Schumacher did step up onto the victory podium and was clearly struggling to hold back the tears as the German national anthem was played.

The Swiss-based racer did not do his usual victory jig as he received the winner's trophy following his fourth victory in front of the tifosi at Imola in the past five years and fifth in all.

There was also no traditional spraying of the champagne as the three drivers and Ferrari's sporting director Jean Todt as well as the dignitaries slowly made their way off the podium.

Ferrari's Jean Todt, standing in for Schumacher in the post-race press conference, said: "We should not focus on today, we should focus on what Michael has achieved in F1.

"It was very difficult for him today but he did the job because he felt he wanted to do the job and he did a fantastic one for the team.

"Apart from what he is as a driver, it is important what he showed today as a man.

"We knew our opposition would be strong but we were deserving better than what we have had so far. But that's racing and it was very important to win today in the first grand prix in Europe."

Raikkonen said: "It was a good race for us. The team was right on their strategy."

And Barrichello added: "It was a good fight with Ralf, a clean one. My race was kind of done by the strategy of Williams because I could not overtake Ralf the way Michael did.

"I lost a lot of time on the second stop but it was a good race. I think Ralf was going through a problem with his tyres and it was my chance and I took that."

Todt added later that Ferrari left the decision whether to drive up to Schumacher.

"We would never push a driver to drive a car if he doesn't want to," said Todt. "It was Michael's choice.

"He decided together with his brother to go back to Germany. In a way he felt more comfortable doing that.

"It was his choice and it was a respectable choice."