The HS1 with which ATS had begun the season was a poor car and the team's regular drivers Jean-Pierre Jarier and Jochen Mass had struggled to even be close to competitiveness. The D1 was first used in practice for the Dutch Grand Prix and Keke Rosberg, who had stood in for Jarier earlier in the year, used it for the last two races of the season. He placed it 15th on the grid for the United States Grand Prix but retired from the race with gearbox issues. For the last race of the year in Canada, Rosberg qualified in 21st. He finished the race but was an unclassified runner.