After the excellent results achieved in 1985, the Lotus Ducarouge designer studied a development of the 97T model. The new 98T had the same single-piece carbon fiber chassis and the team could count on official Renault EF15B engines, which guaranteed better performance than those supplied to other teams through Mecachrome. Senna won two Grands Prix; with De Angelis moving to Brabham, the other Lotus driver was Johnny Dumfries. A third place in the constructors' championship rewarded the efforts of the English team.
The Scot Johnny Dumfries raced only one season in F.1, that of 1986 with Lotus, as the "number 2", Ayrton Senna being the star of the team. His best results were a fifth place in Hungary and a sixth in Australia, which earned him 3 championship points.