When should Michael Schumacher retire?

[herowassenna]

Schumacher was also very clear in his contractual requirements.
One of the major ones was that he would leave if Senna was ever employed by the same team.
And for all his success at Benetton, I never felt that Briatore ran 2 equal cars. There was countless times when driver had better equipment than driver b.
I respected Schumacher during his years at Ferrari because whether his work ethic, Brawn and Todt's obvious favouritism or simply because he could drive Byrne cars better than anyone else, he won for my team.
I never warmed to him because for all his ability, he seemed too controlled, maybe too teutonic.
I'm still firmly of the opinion that during the years 1995 to 2004 he was the best out there. But to qualify that, he usually drove the best cars against subserviant team-mates and lets be honest, his contemporaries weren't truly great.
The current field is the best since the 80's and they just don't hold Schumi in awe anymore.
Rosberg, as has been stated already, is not considered a great. A very good fast driver? Sure. Similar to Webber maybe?
I think Schumi came back because Brawn dominated the first part of last year and he expected the same again. But if you look back at 2009, Brawn didn't develop anywhere near to the pace of Red Bull or Mclaren.
Brawn succeeded because he had $200,000,000 of Honda money to develop a car for 2009 and forget about the heap of 2008 crap.
This year, Red Bull, Mclaren, Renault and now Ferrari ( after a Spanish kick up the jacksie) have out-developed the works Mercedes effort. To a degree, I'd say Sauber and Williams as well.
Besides the obvious aging process, Schumi has had the obvious handicap of no testing. I feel also that his ability was the sprint race scenario. Maybe he can't adapt to the non-refuelling skill set required.

Super Hans listed his contemporaries. The name Frentzen is interesting because although he won GP's he disappeared without a murmur. Yet when he was part of the Mercedes sportscar team, he was considered faster than Schumacher.

[Born Racer]

That's what he says. It doesn't mean it's true. I don't rate Hakkinen as highly as Alonso.

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by garcon

Schumacher himself has always been pretty clear about who his toughest opponent was - Hakkinen. For two or three years it was a straight fight between equals.

True. Mika couldn't 'last' as long. It turns out Mika is more like a normal person. I think Mika's peak was higher. Michael, wow, impressive.

Those who think this 'taints' no nothing. I aint a fan, but he beat me down.

[wnut]

Originally Posted by Born Racer

That's what he says. It doesn't mean it's true. I don't rate Hakkinen as highly as Alonso.

I think that Hill was massively underrated.

He performed very well following Senna's death.
Every bit the equal of Schumacher, Hakkinen and Alonso at that stage.

Letting Hill go I believe was one of the biggest mistakes that Williams ever made!

[Born Racer]

Originally Posted by Adam43

Those who think this 'taints' no nothing. I aint a fan, but he beat me down.

I don't know if you're including me in that, but I don't think I used the word 'taint'. For me, I am calling into question his overall talent level when he has exposed some flaws this year. He still did well to achieve his titles so many titles (in fact if, as I am suggesting, he's not as talented as I previously perceived him to be, he did better than it seemed to get those titles because he had to work that bit harder to do it), but ultimately he has been 'shown up'- my perspective and I've thought long and hard about it. We'll see how much Schumacher improves against Rosberg. Maybe he will yet get the upper hand when he gets to test again.

Originally Posted by wnut

I think that Hill was massively underrated.

He performed very well following Senna's death.
Every bit the equal of Schumacher, Hakkinen and Alonso at that stage.

Letting Hill go I believe was one of the biggest mistakes that Williams ever made!

I think Hill is quite highly rated round these parts. I don't think he is under-rated round here. Herowassenna has said that he thinks he's under-rated too. I wouldn't go as far as saying he was as good as Schumacher or Alonso then, but he did do well and, again, wasn't the most naturally talented driver so did well to get the results he did. Frank Williams has something to the effect of how with hindsight he ought not to have let Hill go.

[beau1]

Originally Posted by Born Racer

And again, what? You're rolling on the floor laughing because I contest the notion that he is the greatest ever as many (not necessarily yourself) have claimed over the years. He's being shown up by a driver that not many have touted as one of the future greats even if he is a very good driver. Stop defending the indefensible. Schumacher has been shown up in my view and cannot be uttered in the same breath as many greats. That's my opinion, but don't come here and insult me.

What the **** does Villeneuve have to do with it?

So do you honestly think that if we took Vettel, Hamilton and Alonso (these are the current or future greats) out of their cars for 3 years and put them back in the sport in the 4th/5th best car on the grid that they would be doing a much better job than Schumacher?
With pretty much no 'real' racing time in other formulas?
Oh and don't forget about adding twenty years to their age as well.
I think a good chunk of the grid would be beating them if they ended up as their team-mate, which had still been racing throughout those two years.
3 Years is a long time not to do anything, even harder when something is constantly being developed and you jump in completly in the deep end and pretty much out of the loop, like Schumacher has at Mercedes.
The sad thing is, I think people would be saying things like 'The team is favouring Schumacher' or 'It's the car, he's not that good' even if he was beating Nico and had been from the start.

Lets not forget that Massa (who was great in 2008) who, up until the last two races, has found it pretty hard to get up to speed this year, after outperforming people in a poor Ferrari last seaon and he was only out for half a year.

[Knowlesy]

TGF for me will never be the greatest ever, only by the numbers which are slightly meaningless and misleading because, of course, different eras and all that.

What he was brilliant at was maximising a unique situation in F1 terms, whilst also maintaining a staggering amount of motivation where many others would just get bored. I think this was helped by being with the same core group of people all his career. Nobody else has had the same consistent technical backing as TGF enjoyed from Brawn and Byrne throughout his career as well as undisputed #1 status in his teams.

Of his contemporaries many were faster on their day. Hakkinen and Raikkonen were devastatingly quick but were not highly motivated for too long, as well as being screwed by fragile and inconsistent cars. Senna was killed early on. Coulthard could never get his head together. Montoya shone brightly, but then faded out at some point in 2004 somehow. None of these could match the motivation and stability TGF had, but had peak speeds higher.

If I was to bracket TGF with another driver across history I'd put him with Jackie Stewart. I think both have strong similarities, albeit JYS was obviously a far cleaner racer.

[phoenix]

Originally Posted by beau1

So do you honestly think that if we took Vettel, Hamilton and Alonso (these are the current or future greats) out of their cars for 3 years and put them back in the sport in the 4th/5th best car on the grid that they would be doing a much better job than Schumacher?

I honestly think that after 36 practice sessions, 12 qualifying sessions and 12 races - plus unlimited time in the simulator - that if Schumacher was ever going to match or out-perform his team mate this year the signs are that he won't. Comparison with other cars and drivers on the grid is maybe interesting but cannot be very meaningful as the cars are, obviously, very different. The only valid comparison of his performance and progress is with that of his team mate.

I would say the results and lap times to date show he has made little progress. And that is what surprises me most. Having been out of the game for 3 seasons I would have expected a difficult start for him, but by now I would have expected him to be some way up the obviously steep learning curve. Remembering how some other drivers on the grid adapted to Formula 1 very quickly in their first year and challenged their more established team mates - Vettel and Hamilton for example - I kind of expected Schumacher - a non-rookie - to have made much better progress than he has. The fact that he hasn't by now suggests to me he won't in a month of Sundays.

This is not Schumi bashing or hating - that is my objective view of the situation.

[Woolley]

In terms of driving talent, Schumi is probably one of the greatest driver we've had, well up there with the best of any era. In the modern game it's important to be in the best car, but he also had a talent for development that made it so. You can't really judge this year, it's next year when his input will show.

His ability to think beyond the basics of driving sets him apart tactically, and even in little things such as on the odd occasion he goes off he's often been able to recover and get back on track where others wouldn't.

It's his ethics that appal me. His willingness to simply take his opposition off the track and intimidate other drivers is simply unnaceptable, the more so in my opinion because of that extraordinary talent. It's unnecessary because he could win without doing it, and the fact that we know he has that capacity beyond his driving means it's clearly deliberate. For a while I thought that his move on Damon in Adelaide was a reaction, but his later antics made it clear that it was something he decided to do - probably having weighed up that if he wasn't going to finish then he had one opportunity to stop Hill.

[Adam43]

I don't know who I was including, but then I can't even spell!

[Born Racer]

Originally Posted by beau1

So do you honestly think that if we took Vettel, Hamilton and Alonso (these are the current or future greats) out of their cars for 3 years and put them back in the sport in the 4th/5th best car on the grid that they would be doing a much better job than Schumacher?
With pretty much no 'real' racing time in other formulas?
Oh and don't forget about adding twenty years to their age as well.
.

I don't know about a much better job, but I think Hamilton and Alonso would do a better job. Hamilton, for example, was right on the pace of Alonso from early on in his first season. Look at some of the rookies this year- they're doing a good job with no testing either, so yes, Schumacher may be suffering from not doing anything like the track time he used to, but Petrov had never set foot in an F1 car before February this year. Hulkenberg is coming on well now too. You also have to factor in how Schumacher has a lot of experience- he began in 1991, so whilst he has had years out, he has had many years of experience. If he is 'up to speed', then his speed right now isn't very impressive, that's the crux of what I'm saying.

I'm not saying Schumacher is completely rubbish; I'm contesting the notion that he is as great as he has often been said to be, because now he is showing several flaws in his performance level.

Originally Posted by beau1

Lets not forget that Massa (who was great in 2008) who, up until the last two races, has found it pretty hard to get up to speed this year, after outperforming people in a poor Ferrari last seaon and he was only out for half a year.

I'm not sure about that. I think he was up to speed quite quickly (look at the first couple of races of the season and his performance vis-a-vis Alonso), but Alonso is a formidable talent to compare him too (better than Schumacher I think, because look at how Massa was often closer to Schumacher in earlier years). Also Massa has not been making the harder tyres work for him.

[herowassenna]

Originally Posted by Born Racer

I think Hill is quite highly rated round these parts. I don't think he is under-rated round here. Herowassenna has said that he thinks he's under-rated too. I wouldn't go as far as saying he was as good as Schumacher or Alonso then

I have on a number of occasions. Schumacher was a natural racer, with huge application and highly effective people around him.
Hill, maybe, whilst not as natural a racer, was a very intelligent driver, but above all else, a brilliant test and development driver. Mansell came to rely on his feedback and gave him a lot of credit for how good the Williams cars were of that period.
Hill really came to my attention, when he turned Arrows from abject failures in Australia 97, to moral victors of the Hungarian GP that year. Even Diniz performed well that season once the car was sorted.
Also 1998, he transformed a very poor Jordan team into winners at Spa. Yes, I know there was a huge startline accident and Goodyear had the upper hand, but Jordan was there when Schumi wiped the Ferrari against DC.
Jordan also nearly won the championship in 1999 with Frentzen, and again Hill has to take alot of the credit.
What saddens me, is with this testing ban, when will we see drivers promoted to F1 because of hidden ability.

Originally Posted by Born Racer

I'm not sure about that. I think he was up to speed quite quickly (look at the first couple of races of the season and his performance vis-a-vis Alonso), but Alonso is a formidable talent to compare him too (better than Schumacher I think, because look at how Massa was often closer to Schumacher in earlier years). Also Massa has not been making the harder tyres work for him.

I agree about Alonso being a formidable talent. Also he's ruthless and selfish and will galvanise any team around him ( with the exception of a Ron Dennis run team favouring the prodigal son. )
Ultimately, the engineers will always give 110% for a driver that returns that effort with visible results. Alonso is exactly what Ferrari needed. ie direction.

One thing which I have read recently in a Mark HUghes article, was about Alonso testing against Lewis over 2006/ 2007 winter, using Michelin tyres, Alonso was on a different pace. When they finally switched to Bridgestone, the characteristics of the tyres meant it suited Lewis's style immediately and crucified Alonso's experience. It would take him a number of races to get truly comfortable with the required style.
I remember from reports at the time, that Alonso, Raikkonen and Kubica were all suffering this. It took on average 1/2 a season to get accustomed to them. Massa and Heidfeld were quicker than their respective team-mates initially.

I wonder if this is what's affecting Schumacher to some degree? He tested for Ferrari during the closed season of 2007 and 2008 and was at least as quick as the teams drivers. But have the fundamental changes in the tyres nullified many of his pre-requistes?
For the same reason, as Wooley suggested about development, he hasn't got the luxury of endless testing days available exclusively to him. They have 8 days before the season and that's shared. And personally, I wouldn't be relying on his development suggestions at this moment, he's not beating Rosberg so how could it be relevant?

[pannenmann]

Originally Posted by beau1

So do you honestly think that if we took Vettel, Hamilton and Alonso (these are the current or future greats) out of their cars for 3 years and put them back in the sport in the 4th/5th best car on the grid that they would be doing a much better job than Schumacher?
With pretty much no 'real' racing time in other formulas?
Oh and don't forget about adding twenty years to their age as well.
I think a good chunk of the grid would be beating them if they ended up as their team-mate, which had still been racing throughout those two years.
3 Years is a long time not to do anything, even harder when something is constantly being developed and you jump in completly in the deep end and pretty much out of the loop, like Schumacher has at Mercedes.
The sad thing is, I think people would be saying things like 'The team is favouring Schumacher' or 'It's the car, he's not that good' even if he was beating Nico and had been from the start.

Lets not forget that Massa (who was great in 2008) who, up until the last two races, has found it pretty hard to get up to speed this year, after outperforming people in a poor Ferrari last seaon and he was only out for half a year.

Uhm yeah, I think they would do better than Schumi. Remember Lauda? He did considerably better than Schumi, and he is not regarded as the greatest F1 god that ever walked the earth. So I think when Lauda pulls it off, you can expect it from the greatest ever too. At least to be equal to his teammate. But Schumi doesn't even seem to improve the whole season. We've seen rookies that never drove a F1 car before being challenging drivers to their already experienced teammates. And guess what - the car also wasn't built for them. So I would expect beating the teammate from a 7x WDC too. I didn't expect him to be able to beat Ham, Alonso or the RBR cars (partly because I never rated him as high as the common opinion was and have been a little sceptical about the car), but I expected him to do a damn lot better. Probably like everybody else that is honest. Even in Germany Schumi is old news, gone. He's only interesting providing material for discussion like this one. People don't buy Schumi shirts but Vettel and Rosberg stuff. During the TV broadcast, he is being made fun of. That's the reality nowadays. Just accept it
For Merc it would probably also be better to try and build a new champ with Rosberg and/or Heidfeld, because in the long run they will profit more from it. Even if Schu will win another WDC, I dpn't think it will be such a sensation anymore.

[browney]

I actually can't understand why people make comments saying that Michael's current form cast a different light on how good he was in the first part of his career. It is not unreasonable that, having had several years away from the sport and also being quite a bit older, he is not as good as he used to be. That doesn't, in any way, mean we should consider him worse during the time he amassed stats that will be hard to ever beat.

It's like claiming that Lance Armstong is not one of the best riders in the history of the sport because he only managed 3rd when he came back from retirement.

While I don't think it has any impact at all on what I think of his driving ability, it has really confirmed that he goes to far on the aggressive driving. He was never going to match the performance he had when he was younger but he had the opportunity to make himself remembered as having become a bit more of a gentlemen and more well behaved. Instead, especially after trying to shove Rubens of the track, he confirms what many people thought of his personality. I think that is really unfortunate.

[ASCII Man]

Schadenfreude, I guess.
For all the years of utter boredom he gave us.

Personally I think it's a bit childish, but there you go.

[wnut]

Originally Posted by Woolley

In terms of driving talent, Schumi is probably one of the greatest driver we've had, well up there with the best of any era. In the modern game it's important to be in the best car, but he also had a talent for development that made it so. You can't really judge this year, it's next year when his input will show.

His ability to think beyond the basics of driving sets him apart tactically, and even in little things such as on the odd occasion he goes off he's often been able to recover and get back on track where others wouldn't.

........

I think this is accurate, and I for one would not discount Schumacher.
I think he is running a test and development program and I would not write him off quite yet.

On a separate note has anyone noticed how the front tyres shake from side as the side walls shimmy after the load comes off them. How you can feel what a car is doing with that going on ... I don't know. [Not that its not the same for everyone.]

[Super Hans]

Originally Posted by wnut

I for one would not discount Schumacher.

You'll never shift him at full price.

[MrTTraces]

Originally Posted by wnut

I for one would not discount Schumacher.

Originally Posted by Super Hans

You'll never shift him at full price.

BOGOF? Buy one get one free?

Buy Micheal get Ralf free!.... anyone?

[beau1]

Originally Posted by pannenmann

Uhm yeah, I think they would do better than Schumi. Remember Lauda? He did considerably better than Schumi, and he is not regarded as the greatest F1 god that ever walked the earth. So I think when Lauda pulls it off, you can expect it from the greatest ever too. At least to be equal to his teammate. But Schumi doesn't even seem to improve the whole season. We've seen rookies that never drove a F1 car before being challenging drivers to their already experienced teammates. And guess what - the car also wasn't built for them. So I would expect beating the teammate from a 7x WDC too. I didn't expect him to be able to beat Ham, Alonso or the RBR cars (partly because I never rated him as high as the common opinion was and have been a little sceptical about the car), but I expected him to do a damn lot better. Probably like everybody else that is honest. Even in Germany Schumi is old news, gone. He's only interesting providing material for discussion like this one. People don't buy Schumi shirts but Vettel and Rosberg stuff. During the TV broadcast, he is being made fun of. That's the reality nowadays. Just accept it
For Merc it would probably also be better to try and build a new champ with Rosberg and/or Heidfeld, because in the long run they will profit more from it. Even if Schu will win another WDC, I dpn't think it will be such a sensation anymore.

I, of course wasn't around to watch it but statistically Lauda didn't do that much better than Schumacher is, in 1982 his return season.
He was beaten by an arguably 'worse' team-mate, who was arguably at their peak or at least peaking during that time.
He came 5th in the Championship, in what was the 2nd best car whilst Schumacher is 9th in the 4th/5th best car. So there isn't actually a lot of difference there.
Lauda's return got even worse during 1983 when he was beaten in a similar way to how Schumacher is now, once again by Watson in the 5th best car.
It took him 2 seasons to win another championship and he did this whilst Watson was no longer at McLaren. Schumacher hasn't had this long yet, so Lauda return being considerably better in comparison doesn't really work too well at this point. Actually, if anything it proves that Schumacher is doing an OK job in his first season.
That isn't really considerably better, I'm sorry but its not and I infact do count 'Lauda' as a 'great' for coming back from A) the accident and winning and b) coming back from retirement and sticking at it.

[Super Hans]

Lauda only came back 'cause he needed the money for his airline. He's an admirably straight-talking man. I'd recommend his book For the Record to anyone. He has a refreshing lack of sentimentality, which is welcome in this age of emotional incontinence.

[herowassenna]

Some good points beau, but I want to add a different perspective to the Lauda history. My first ever GP was the 1982 British GP which Lauda won.
Driving for a new version of Mclaren, as in Project Four being merged with Mclaren via Marlboro, the organisation was only a year old.
Lauda in 1982 was 33 years old. Mark Hughes once wrote an article which made many points of a drivers peak being between 31 and 33 years old. Schumacher was 31 in 2000 and 33 in 2002. His best years were whilst racing for an organisation that tested endlessly, paid for by Bridgestone using Schumi, Barrichello, Badoer and Gene. 3 drivers supporting Schumi's championship charge.
Also during this period, Ferrari were the only top team using Bridgestone products which were designed around his and the cars driving style. I wonder how much of the Bridgestone advantage played in his championship victories...
After all, 2005 was a total disaster after Mosley changed the tyre useage rules. Something interestingly, that Ferrari didn't veto.
The cars of 1982 were in their infancy regarding aerodynamics, had no telemetry on board, minimal electronics and a drivers input was critical to their development.
The cars of the last 10 15 years have incredible detailing from their time in the wind-tunnel, electronic systems which would put man on Mars, never mind the moon and as has been proved by any number of drivers over the last 10 years, doesn't need a top level racing driver to access its complete performance.
I think this is critical for why young drivers are given so little time in apprenticeship.
In the modern era, I can only think of Mansell as a driver who won a championship late in his career, he was 39. Hill was 36 when he won, and by 1999 was a shadow of his former self.
Mansell is an interesting subject, because he won when he had a dominant machine. But for me his best years were 1986 to 1989, ie 33 to 36

I don't doubt Schumi can win again, but the competition is too strong now for a WDC glory. Lauda, in 1982 only really had Prost and Piquet as genuine competitors at his level. Senna didn't arrive for another 2 years, and Mansell was at a poor Lotus team. Villeneuve had been killed, and Pironi was horribly injured in what was the season best car.
After his 1984 WDC win, he was never at the same level again.
I think there comes a period in a driver's career, and maybe athletes in general, where their youthfulness is balanced out with experience and this makes them formidable, but then that natural athleticism falls away to be replaced by experience. It's at that point that they should retire. Be they boxers, tennis players, golfers and racing drivers.

I am surprised by the performances this year. I assumed that Brawn and Schumi would push Nico aside, especially after the numbering shenanigans. Schumacher is on record stating that it gets harder to maintain his fitness levels year on year. He may still be exceptionally fit as a human being, but if it takes so much effort to maintain the level, why would it not be true that it gets harder to maintain the same skill set in F1?

[pannenmann]

Originally Posted by beau1

I, of course wasn't around to watch it but statistically Lauda didn't do that much better than Schumacher is, in 1982 his return season.
He was beaten by an arguably 'worse' team-mate, who was arguably at their peak or at least peaking during that time.
He came 5th in the Championship, in what was the 2nd best car whilst Schumacher is 9th in the 4th/5th best car. So there isn't actually a lot of difference there.
Lauda's return got even worse during 1983 when he was beaten in a similar way to how Schumacher is now, once again by Watson in the 5th best car.
It took him 2 seasons to win another championship and he did this whilst Watson was no longer at McLaren. Schumacher hasn't had this long yet, so Lauda return being considerably better in comparison doesn't really work too well at this point. Actually, if anything it proves that Schumacher is doing an OK job in his first season.
That isn't really considerably better, I'm sorry but its not and I infact do count 'Lauda' as a 'great' for coming back from A) the accident and winning and b) coming back from retirement and sticking at it.

Me neither, but I got the impression that he did fairly well. He actually won races, he finished multiple times before his teammate (but also lost out of course). Never seen that often from Schumi, esp when Rosberg didn't have a mechanical failure. Lauda was only one place behind Watson in the final WDC, so I think you can say that his comeback was better than Schumi's. And I doubt he had the problems Schumi is currently going through. Watson wasn't considered to be a great driver afaik, but Rosberg wasn't too (at least up to this season). Now factor in that some people consider Schumi one of the best driver in F1 ever, you would expect he would do better than Lauda (whom I too consider one of the greats) - that's not my logic, but rather the one of majority of Schumi fellowers. Myself I didn't expect him to win races let alone become WDC in his first season, but I expected him to sometimes at least be able to battle the top tier for podium and be faster than Nico on a constant basis. But currently he has not only failed all that, he seems to lack any progress. Funny thing is, before this season people were worried that Nico would have take the short straw and Michael dominating the team, now they are worrying if and when Michael will be exchanged for another driver. That alone says much about expectations and how Schumi failed to meet them.

Talking about the age factor, I don't think that is as important as some people now make it appear. Rubens didn't get that much worse, did he? If anything, I'd say he did better than ever the last 2 seasons. So we can assume the reflexes in general aren't a problem (as proven in Hungary by both of them). Now also consider the claim that Schumi was one of the fittest drivers and always continued his training even during his break, it can't be a lack of physical strength (plus as it has been shown, you don't neccessary need it to do well on most circuits for common temperatures).

[Born Racer]

Originally Posted by pannenmann

Talking about the age factor, I don't think that is as important as some people now make it appear. Rubens didn't get that much worse, did he? If anything, I'd say he did better than ever the last 2 seasons. So we can assume the reflexes in general aren't a problem (as proven in Hungary by both of them). Now also consider the claim that Schumi was one of the fittest drivers and always continued his training even during his break, it can't be a lack of physical strength (plus as it has been shown, you don't neccessary need it to do well on most circuits for common temperatures).

Yep.

[Super Hans]

I wish people would stop using the phrase skill set.

It's a motorsport forum, not a human resources seminar.

[VIVA GT]

One thought that's crossed my mind, and I'm not sure if this has been mentioned in this thread already (sorry, although I've read this all through I can't remember everything that's been raised in 420+ posts, and I've not got the time to trawl back through them all).
Last year TGF was going to stand in for the injured Massa, but then this was vetoed 'due to his neck injury'.
Now I know that conspiracy theories are rarely aired in these forums but I'm now starting to wonder if there was more to this than meets the eye?
Was it Ferrari who stopped an (obviously to them) slow TGF from coming back and not making their car look so good and this is what's spurned Michael on to return fo F1 with his old mate Ross Brawn to (try and) show the Italians that he can still do it, (but failed) and they missed out on an excellent opportunity last year?