20 April in Ferrari history: Michael Schumacher’s emotional Imola win

On 20 April 2003, Michael Schumacher won the San Marino Grand Prix for Ferrari at Imola. The victory came on a day of personal loss: his mother, Elisabeth, had died earlier that morning.

A difficult day for the Schumacher family

Michael and his brother Ralf both competed in the race after their mother’s death. Against that background, the sporting result formed only part of an unusually emotional afternoon.

Schumacher completed the 62-lap Grand Prix ahead of Kimi Räikkönen, with Rubens Barrichello finishing third in the second Ferrari. Ralf took fourth for Williams.

The official winning margin was 1.882 seconds, while Barrichello finished 2.291 seconds behind his teammate.

Ferrari earns its first victory of 2003

Imola also marked Ferrari’s first win of the season and the 65th Grand Prix victory of Schumacher’s career. After three rounds without a victory, the Scuderia returned to the top step of the podium at one of its home venues.

Barrichello’s third place added to the team’s result, but the anniversary remains inseparable from the circumstances in which the Schumacher brothers raced.

Read more about Michael Schumacher’s Formula 1 records and explore other dates in the Ferrari history calendar.