McLaren's were 1-2 in qualifying, Senna ahead of Berger. Ferrari were 3-4 with Prost ahead of Mansell and Williams were 5-6 to complete the "Noah's Ark" (two-by-two) formation, Patrese ahead of Boutsen. At the start, Berger took off better than Senna but Senna just stayed ahead with Berger second, Prost third, Mansell fourth with Patrese fifth and Piquet sixth.