Schumacher won 11 of 17 races last year

Michael Schumacher hopes Ferrari can sustain their period of Formula One dominance - at least until he finally quits the sport.

The German is hoping to claim his fourth successive drivers' crown for Ferrari - and a record-breaking sixth overall - this year.

And Schumacher, who is contracted to Ferrari until the end of 2004, says he wants to maintain that superiority for as long as he remains with the Italian team.

But the 34-year-old realises that Ferrari's dominance cannot last forever.

"It would be rather stupid if we were to be tempted to rest on our laurels. After all, experience has shown that things always fall off after peak periods," he said.

"Of course we hope that we can put this off for as long as possible and I naturally also hope that it won't happen in my time.

"In any case, our aim is quite clear - to keep this Ferrari era going for as long as possible."

But Schumacher insisted that he did not care if his personal dominance continues in 2003, having won 11 of 17 grand prix last year to clinch the title with six races to spare.

He said: "It isn't necessary to be as dominant.... as long as we can keep on winning races, everything's okay."