 Nyorai kupfuurira kweiyi ndima - Zvichida muenzaniso unotaurira zvikurusa wokutonga kunosimbisa kweMP44 wakaonwa paSan Marinomunhangemutange yechipiri chete yemwaka. Senna naProst vose vakakwanisa kutenderera 5.040 km 3.131 mi Imola circuit mu1:27s Senna 0.7 nekukurumidza kupfuura Prost apo pasina mumwe mutyairi aigona kuwana pasi pe1:30. Wechitatu pagiredhi akanga ari kudzivirira World Champion Nelson Piquet muLotus 100T yake, iyo yakashandisa zvakafanana 1988 Honda injini seMcLaren. Piquet akakwanisa chete kukwanisa mu1:30.500, 3.352 masekondi zvishoma zvishoma kupfuura Senna, uye 2.581 masekondi zvishoma zvishoma kupfuura Prost. Muchokwadi, Lotus yakanyora zviyero zvekumhanyisa zvakanyanya , 1.5 km h nekukurumidza kupfuura maMcLaren pakumhanya kuenda kuTosa, asi kutenderera kwese kwese kwese kumhanyisa kweMcLaren uye downforce zvaive zvisina kufananidzwa. Pasinei neizvi, vose Piquet naLotus boss Peter Warr vakaudza vezvenhau vakaungana paImola kuti vaitenda kuti motokari yavo iri nani aerodynamically, uye nokudaro inoshandisa mafuta akawanda kupfuura MP44. Zvisinei, vose McLaren vakanga lapped yose munda, kusanganisira 3rd akaisa Piquet, kubudikidza lap 55 ari 60 kumativi nhangemutange. Iyo inokurumidza Imola njanji ine yayo yakareba nguva yekumhanyisa yakazara-throttle racing yaive yakanyanya kuomarara pamafuta, kunyanya kune mota dze turbo idzo dzakaona dzakawanda dzekunonoka kumhanya mumakore achangopfuura, uye maMcLarens achitenderedza munda nekumhanya kwavakaita vakaratidza kugona kweiyo aerodynamic yemotokari pamwe nebasa rakaitwa neHonda kudzikisa kushandiswa kwemafuta. Prost naSenna vakakurumidza kutenderera zvakare vatyairi chete pasi pe1:30 vaive 1.5 masekondi nekukurumidza kupfuura wechipiri, Gerhard Bergers Ferrari. Kutenderera kwaPiquet kwakakurumidza kwaingova kwechipfumbamwe kwekumhanya kwemujaho, uye masekondi 2.8 akaderera pane kutenderera kwaProst kwe1:29.685. Prost naSenna vakamhanyisa kumhanya munhangemutange kupfuura Piquet akanga akwanisa, vachiisa chiratidzo chekurumbidza pakupera kwevhiki kwaMcLaren. 