It was driven by Rubens Barrichello and Jan Magnussen at the start of 1998, with both in their second seasons with the team.

Magnussen was dropped after the 1998 Canadian Grand Prix, despite scoring his first-ever point at the event, and replaced for the remainder of the season by Jos Verstappen.

This was largely due to the pressures on a new team; having to race in a full F1 season for the first time, whilst preparing for next year.

The car was late in production and therefore did not test enough to become a true front-running contender.

The livery was almost identical to the previous season with subtle changes on the tartan stripes; the team retained all of the sponsors with additional support from Lear Corporation and Visteon.