In the three weeks between the Hungarian GP and Spa Enzo Ferrari died, depriving Grand Prix racing of its most famous personality. When the teams gathered at Spa Nigel Mansell was missing, out of action with chicken pox and so Williams asked Martin Brundle to stand in. On the wide open spaces of Spa there was little hope that anyone would be able to beat the two McLaren-Hondas and Ayrton Senna was on pole from his team mate Alain Prost and Gerhard Berger's Ferrari. Michele Alboreto was fourth in the second Ferrari ahead of Riccardo Patrese's Williams, the Benettons of Thierry Boutsen and Sandro Nannini. Satoru Nakajima had a good day in his Lotus to qualify eighth, ahead of his team mate Nelson Piquet and Derek Warwick's Arrows-Megatron. Brundle was 12th.

Prost and Senna had agreed not to make a mess of things in the La Source hairpin. Prost made the better start and Senna let him the corner. Through Eau Rouge Senna was faster and on the long drag up the hill he pulled alongside Prost and went ahead when they braked for the Les Combes corner. Senna would not be headed again and all Prost could do was follow him to the flag. Berger was ahead of Alboreto for just a couple of laps before he began to have trouble and dropped behind his team mate. The Austrian would retire after only 11 laps. Alboreto stayed third until he went out with engine failure on lap 36. That left Boutsen to finish third with Nannini fourth, Ivan Capelli fifth and Piquet sixth.

After the race the Benettons were found to have infringed fuel regulations and the cars were excluded from the event.