From start to finish yesterday, Montreal played host to the Schumacher Show, a tale of duelling siblings, rival tyres and the champion team versus the reawakened giant of Williams. And like all the best melodramas, this week's instalment gave us a sting in the tail. Instead of Michael Schumacher getting all the best speeches, it was younger brother Ralf who delivered the punchline, blasting past his brother in the pits to steal the lead and ultimately the race.

In the run-up to this race Williams' technical director Patrick Head had publicly castigated his drivers by saying that neither the younger Schumacher nor teammate Juan Pablo Montoya had the maturity necessary at the highest level of Formula One. If confirmation were needed team boss Frank Williams later pointed to the team's inability to translate the massive potential shown by their BMW-powered FW23 into results.

Ralf Schumacher delivered the perfect riposte yesterday, driving an immaculate race to take his second win of the year.

It was all about the brothers Schumacher from the start. Saturday had seen the pair plaster the family name to the front row of the grid and yesterday, once the Ferrari number one and the Williams pilot had made a clean getaway through turn one, and with third-placed David Coulthard reporting a technical problem early on, it was never going to be anyone else's show.

But for 50 laps it looked like Michael would once again be the one taking the lion's share of the limelight. While the BMW's supreme straight-line speed kept the Williams driver in touch, the senior Schumacher was roasting his younger sibling through the first sector.

It remained that way until the leaders nosed into the window for the single pit stops most of the leading drivers were aiming for. Within two thirds distance approaching and the Ferrari's Bridgestone tyres suffering, Ralf Schumacher suddenly found a burst of pace. Twice he attempted darts down the inside of the Ferrari on the final straight only to be rebuffed. Eventually the Williams pilot relented, the word coming over the radio that the Ferrari pit crew were waiting for Michael to come in.

That was Ralf's cue. When his older brother dived into the pits on lap 46, The Williams driver emulated the trick his brother has perfected over the years. He smashed the lap record four times in as many laps and when he came in to pit on lap 51, he had established enough of a cushion to see him in and out ahead of the Ferrari. From there it was a done deal, Schumacher pushing hard to claim Williams's second win of the year and a reward that puts him just two points behind third-placed Rubens Barrichello in the drivers' championship.

"It was a great race today," enthused Ralf Schumacher afterwards. "The whole time it was the two of us together. I was waiting for him to make a mistake but he didn't so I tried a couple of times at the end of the straight but it wasn't possible. Then, I waited for the pit strategy, because I knew we were going longer and it worked out perfectly."

His brother admitted that the Williams had been the better package on the day and claimed his car had felt nervous throughout. "If I have to lose I guess he's the best person to lose to," he said.

The defending world champion added he had tried to close the gap to his brother after his pit stop but had not been able to match the pace of the then fuel-light Williams.

The second place, however, was an acceptable result for Schumacher. With David Coulthard eventually retiring with a blown engine, the German moves into an 18-point lead in the championship and the Scot's hopes of challenging for the title look seriously damaged.

McLaren honour was, however, salvaged by Mika Hakkinen, who scored his first podium finish since Japan 2000 and brought to an end one of the worst points-droughts of the Finn's career.

Hakkinen showed that despite the disappointment of scoring just four points all season he had lost none of his pace and race craft as, once past the Jordan of Ricardo Zonta, he dispatched a host of midfield runners to jump from eighth to third.

He admitted afterwards that it had been a relief, but added that the podium had been his goal all weekend.

"It was my aim. There was never a time when I though about racing just to get some points," he said before being asked how he felt about finishing behind two Schumachers instead of the normal one. "It's just as well there isn't a third brother," he responded.

Fourth place went to Hakkinen's compatriot Kimi Raikkonen in the Sauber, the 21-year-old claiming three points in only his eighth Formula One race and confirming the potential he has displayed since coming into the sport in March.

Prost's Jean Alesi scored his second points finish in a row with a fifth place that saw the emotional French-Sicilian reenact a ritual he has not had the pleasure of staging for some time. Crossing the finish line, Alesi jumped from the car and hurled his helmet into the crowd - just as did when he claimed his one and only grand prix win in Montreal six years ago.

The final point went to Pedro De la Rosa, the Spaniard giving Jaguar their second points finish in a row. Team-mate Eddie Irvine went out of yesterday's race on the first lap, the Irishman colliding with Sauber's Nick Heidfeld.