Michael Shumacher has admitted he doesn't expect Ferrari to win the remaining races of this season's Formula One championship and targeted this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix as the site where his good luck could run out.

The world champion, arriving yesterday at Spielberg's A1-Ring on the back of three straight wins, said that while his Ferrari F2002 is the class of the field, there would be circuits where he would not be competitive.

"It's not a target to win every race because I think it's an unrealistic target and a very arrogant target in all honesty," said Schumacher. "We try to do our best job and we see what comes out but I'm sure there will be circuits this year where we're simply not good enough and we will be beaten."

The champion did, however, predict his run of fortune could come to an end here in the Styrian mountains of Austria, a short circuit of fast straights and slow corners which has out-foxed Schumacher and Ferrari in the past.

"Yes, definitely [it will be closer]," he said. "I think Barcelona was, in all respects, in our favour. Tyre-wise, aerodynamic-wise, power-wise: everything was a package.

"I think Barcelona shows the most of the car and I don't think that that will be the case here. It's a stop-and-go circuit and we have seen last year - not for the whole race, but in certain stints - that Williams was very fast, especially at the end of the race."

Schumacher has, in the past, lacked that edge at the A1-Ring, and it remains the one circuit on the Formula One calendar which the German has failed to conquer. However, he dismissed any thoughts that the circuit was a jinx track.

Last year Schumacher had to give way to a sterling drive from McLaren's David Coulthard. This year, however, the gap back to the Scot should be greater.

Schumacher was buoyed yesterday by the news Ferrari have re-signed team-mate Rubens Barrichello through to the end of 2004.

The deal puts the Brazilian on a similar deal to the Italian team's other major players - Schumacher, sporting director Jean Todt, technical director Ross Brawn and designer Rory Byrne.

Schumacher admitted that re-signing Barrichello for a further two years was the right move. "I'm very happy," he said. "First of all, I think he's done a fantastic job for us. Also, as a team-mate he's a good team-mate. We are good partners, we have a good relationship. Everything is the way it's supposed to be. I feel it's fantastic that we can keep on going."