With turbo-charged engines banned for 1989, the entry list had increased to 39 cars from 20 teams; to accommodate the number of cars a pre-qualifying system was introduced, where the new cars and the teams ranked lowest in the previous season would compete for the 30 spaces available in qualifying, and then for the 26 starters in the race.
Ca prohibición dos motores turboalimentados para 1989, a lista de inscritos aumentou a 39 coches de 20 equipos, para acomodar o número de coches introduciuse un sistema de precualificación, os novos coches e os equipos peor clasificados na tempada anterior competirían polas 30 prazas dispoñibles na cualificación, e logo polos 26 postos da grella.