MSC Cruises is staying on the Formula 1 grid. The cruise line will put its name on three Grand Prix races in 2027 — Belgium, Portugal and Turkey — the second straight season it has landed three title sponsorships in the championship.

The deal slots into a wider partnership between MSC and F1 that kicked off in 2022 and runs through 2030. Beyond the headline billing, MSC's cruise brands — including its luxury sister line Explora Journeys — will have trackside branding and hospitality setups at selected races through the 2027 season.

For race fans, the trio of 2027 events offers plenty of variety. The Portuguese Grand Prix runs June 18-20 at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve near Portimão, bringing F1 back to Portugal after a short gap; the track is known for blind crests, big elevation changes and tricky braking zones. Belgium follows on July 23-25 at Spa-Francorchamps, the 7-kilometre Ardennes forest circuit that ranks among the longest and most demanding on the calendar. Turkey wraps the MSC slate on October 1-3 at Istanbul Park, about 45 kilometres outside the city, under a fresh five-year agreement — the anticlockwise 5.33-kilometre track first hosted F1 in 2005 and has staged nine Grands Prix.

The sponsorship push has already produced something tangible for fans. At the 2026 Miami Grand Prix, MSC built a structure called The Marina across Turns 5 through 9: a 264-by-96-foot venue styled as a 50-foot-tall superyacht, complete with viewing decks, terraces, shaded seating, pools and cocktail service modelled on the MSC Yacht Club available on the line's ships. Crucially, it included a general-admission platform at Turn 7, so even fans without premium tickets got a view of one of the circuit's toughest sections.

Why should holidaymakers care? Because F1 weekends have become full-blown travel events, and cruise lines are leaning into that. If you're already sailing with MSC — which operates 23 ships calling at more than 250 destinations — a Grand Prix title sponsorship can mean themed onboard programming, race-themed sailings timed around events, or hospitality perks at the track. Explora Journeys, which launched in 2023 and plans to grow from two ships to six by 2028, adds a luxury angle for travellers who want their race weekend paired with a high-end sea stay.

The Portugal race is arguably the most interesting for trip planners: Portimão sits on the Algarve coast, meaning you can pair race days with beach time, and June weather there is reliably warm. Istanbul, meanwhile, makes an easy city-break add-on before or after the October race. Keep an eye on how MSC's hospitality packages are priced once 2027 inventory opens — race-and-cruise bundles tend to sell early.