MSC Cruises is stepping up its involvement in Formula One, taking top billing at three grands prix during the 2027 season: the Belgian Grand Prix, the Portuguese Grand Prix and the Turkish Grand Prix.

The deal extends a partnership that began in 2022 and runs through to 2030. Until now, MSC's presence has mostly been trackside advertising and hospitality, but from 2027 the cruise line's name will sit above two race titles outright — the Formula 1 MSC Cruises Belgian Grand Prix 2027 and the Formula 1 MSC Cruises Premio de Portugal 2027 — with the Turkish Grand Prix rounding out the trio. Branding from both MSC Cruises and the group's luxury line, Explora Journeys, will appear at a selection of races across the season.

For race-going travellers, the 2027 calendar itself is the real story. The Portuguese round, running June 18-20, marks F1's return to the country after a short absence, reviving the idea of a grand prix weekend combined with a proper holiday on Portugal's Atlantic coast. The Belgian race follows on July 23-25, bringing the championship to the Ardennes — the classic summer European F1 trip, with camping, cycling and the forests of the Ardennes as much a part of the weekend as the racing. Turkey closes out MSC's sponsored trio on October 1-3, the start of a new five-year deal that puts Istanbul back on the calendar on a stable footing.

Pairing cruise branding with grands prix isn't accidental. MSC is clearly courting the same crowd F1 has grown over the past decade: affluent, experience-hungry travellers who like the idea of anchoring a European trip around a major event. Expect cruise-and-race bundles, hospitality packages and port-plus-pit-lane style itineraries to follow as the partnership deepens through 2030.

If you're already plotting a 2027 F1 holiday, each of the three venues works well as a trip in its own right. Belgium's race at Spa-Francorchamps is reachable from Brussels or Liège and pairs easily with a few days in the Ardennes or across the border in the Netherlands. Portugal's return opens the door to combining race weekend with Lisbon or the coast. And an early-October trip to Istanbul doubles as a city break — bazaars, Bosphorus ferries and some of the best food in the region — before or after the on-track action.

Story reported by Cruise Industry News.