(Motorsport) In light of heavy criticism, Formula 1 team Mercedes and Kingspan have mutually agreed to end their partnership after the deal was announced last week. Kingspan is the firm that made some of the insulation used on Grenfell Tower which caught fire in 2017 and killed 72 people. The Kingspan logo appeared in both Hamilton and Bottas’ cars at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix for the first and last time with the partnership ending with immediate effect following the announcement.
In a statement released by Mercedes, they said “The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team and Kingspan today announced that they have mutually agreed to end their partnership. Announced last week, the new partnership included Kingspan chairing a new Sustainability Working Group for the team, and aimed to deliver carbon reductions through their leading-edge environmentally sustainable solutions for the team's future campus. However, both parties have subsequently concluded that it is not appropriate for the partnership to move forward at the current point in time, notwithstanding its intended positive impact, and we have therefore agreed that it will be discontinued with immediate effect."
The deal received widespread condemnation after it was announced last week, particularly from the Grenfell Group that represents the survivors and bereaved families who demanded that the agreement be severed and that it was “truly shocking”. Grenfell United sent a letter to Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff who apologized for "additional hurt that this announcement has caused" and accepted the offer to meet with the group. The sponsorship deal was also criticised by Michael Grove, secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities who also wrote a letter to Wolff, urging him to reconsider the deal and warning that failure to do so might prompt the British government to change advertising rules for motorsport.
Kingspan also released a statement that said “"We are deeply aware of the sensitivities raised in recent days, and so we have jointly agreed that it's not appropriate to move forward at the current point in time. Much has been written about this over the past few days, and out of consideration for our customers and all the great people who work for us, we believe we must respond. We had no role in the Grenfell Tower refurbishment. However, our Kingspan Insulation UK business is a core participant in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and fully supports the Inquiry's important work.
"We understand that this is a complex topic, but there are some important facts that we would like to explain: 1. We did not make the exterior cladding on Grenfell Tower. The Inquiry itself has stated that "the principal reason" for rapid fire spread on Grenfell was the Polyethylene cored ACM cladding used on the exterior of the building. No facade system using this PE ACM cladding, regardless of the insulation used, would have passed the necessary large-scale system fire test. Our K15 insulation board was misused in this unsafe and non-compliant system.
"2. We did not supply or recommend K15 to Grenfell Tower. K15 made up approximately 5% of the insulation layer of the façade system. It was substituted without our knowledge. 3. We have completed new tests which support the previous fire safety claims of the three historical K15 large-scale system tests which came into question during the Inquiry process. We condemn in the strongest possible terms the wholly unacceptable historical conduct and emails which emerged throughout the course of the Inquiry discovery process. We have sincerely apologised for these actions by a small group of employees at our Kingspan Insulation UK business. This in no way reflects Kingspan's culture or values."
Mercedes are currently favourites for the Constructors Championship heading into the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi with a 28 point lead over second place Red Bull. The Drivers Championship is a lot closer with both Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton level on points with 369.5 and the winner at the Yas Marina Circuit will be crowned champion.
