McLaren arrived in Brazil with no fewer than six cars for Ayrton Senna and Gerhard Berger: three new MP4/7s and three older MP4/6Bs as spares. There was also much interest in the Andrea Moda Formula garage where the team had two new drivers in Roberto Moreno and Perry McCarthy. The latter was then denied a superlicence by the FIA, which is necessary in order to drive in Formula 1, and so only Moreno took part in the pre-qualifying session. The team had worked two all-nighters to get the cars ready but Moreno did not pre-qualify.

The system of pre-qualifying was developed in response to the increasing number of teams competing in Formula 1. It was decided that 30 cars were the maximum safe limit to compete for 26 grid places. The cars which had to pre-qualify were decided at the beginning and the midpoint of each season. The 26 cars which had achieved the best results in the previous two-half seasons automatically entered official qualifying for the race. All the other cars had to pre-qualify for the 4 remaining slots available for official qualifying. Those that failed to pre-qualify just went home.

In qualifying Nigel Mansell and Riccardo Patrese were again dominant in their Williams-Renaults, the pair ahead of Ayrton Senna's McLaren by almost two full seconds. Mansell had a silly accident at the end of qualifying when he did not need to be lapping quickly. Berger was fourth with Michael Schumacher fifth in his Benetton ahead of Jean Alési's miserable Ferrari F92A, Martin Brundle's Benetton and the Dallara-Ferrari of Pierluigi Martini. The top 10 was completed by the March-Ilmor of Karl Wendlinger and the Ligier-Renault of Thierry Boutsen.

Before the parade lap Berger's McLaren failed to fire up and so he had to start the race from the pitlane. Mansell made a terrible start and Patrese took the lead while Nigel found himself holding off Schumacher and Senna. Mansell emerged ahead while Senna used an outside overtaking manoeuvre to keep the young German under control. Mansell had a look at taking the lead on the first lap but Patrese closed the door firmly. For the next few laps they battled as they pulled away from the rest of the field. It took Schumacher until 13 before he managed to get ahead of Senna and he then began to charge after the two Williams drivers. Senna soon dropped behind Brundle and Alési as well and he disappeared with an electrical problem after 17 laps. Brundle also disappeared after a brush with Alési.

In the midfield there was an embarrassing moment for Guy Ligier when both his drivers, Érik Comas and Thierry Boutsen, collided while battling Johnny Herbert's Lotus for seventh place.

The order was then set with Mansell leading home Patrese, Schumacher, Alési, Ivan Capelli (Ferrari) and Michele Alboreto in the Footwork-Mugen.