The BWT Alpine Formula One Team launched its 2026 Formula 1 car aboard the MSC World Europa in Barcelona on Friday.
The team’s livery for its 2026 challenger, the A526, was revealed during an exclusive event aboard while docked at MSC Cruises’ new state-of-the-art terminal.
It is said to be the first F1 car launch on a cruise ship.
This occasion brought together drivers Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto, Alpine Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore, MSC Cruises’ Executive Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago, and a select group of VIP guests.
The ship operated using Bio-LNG through the European Mass Balance system, meaning MSC World Europa was net-zero for carbon emissions for the duration of the event. This approach complements the new BWT Alpine Formula One Team car, which for the 2026 season will run on synthetic fuel, a fuel that MSC Cruises is also preparing to use in the future, the companies said in a joint press release
Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of MSC Cruises, said: “We are extremely proud to have been part of this legendary moment on board MSC World Europa. While cruising and Formula 1® may seem worlds apart, we share the same DNA – a deep commitment to teamwork, innovation, and creating unforgettable moments, just like those our exceptional crew deliver on our ships each and every day.
“Our partnership with BWT Alpine Formula One Team is not only founded on shared values but also the strong links with French engineering excellence, making it especially meaningful to host this historic event on a ship designed and built in France. I am also very proud to work with a partner who shares the same commitments to achieving net-zero.”
BWT Alpine Formula One Team Executive Advisor, Flavio Briatore, said: “Today marks the beginning of a new chapter for BWT Alpine Formula One Team. I am very grateful to our partners at MSC Cruises not just for hosting us today here in Barcelona, on this incredible ship, MSC World Europa, but also for their support and commitment to our team. They have proven to be genuine partners as we prepare for what will undoubtedly be a unique season in Formula One history, not least for us with the new technical regulations. We start the season with a clean sheet of paper and a great opportunity for us to be more competitive than previous campaigns.
“It has been a relentless few months at the Enstone factory in preparation for the season, designing and creating the A526, together with Mercedes-AMG who will supply the new power unit and gearbox from this season; a partnership we are very much excited about.
“To be joined by so many of our partners at an event like this is fantastic. I thank them all, both new ones, and existing ones, for their commitment to the team, especially after our challenges on track last year.”
Guests at the event enjoyed BWT mineralised water, freshly filtered and mineralised onboard using state-of-the-art purification technology by BWT.
The full roll-out of this water, AQUA by MSC, across the fleet, will see the elimination on average of over 4 million plastic water bottles every month. By 2026, this will represent an annual average of more than 49 million single-use plastic water bottles cut out fleetwide.
Of note, the MSC World Europa, constructed in Saint-Nazaire, France by Chantiers de l’Atlantique, and Alpine, which operates a road car factory in Dieppe, said they both embody the “Made in France” tradition.
