By Lewis Hamilton’s F1 team end deal with Grenfell firm
Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team have terminated their ill-judged deal with Kingspan following backlash from Grenfell United.
The deal was only announced last week but faced heavy criticism from Grenfell United because of the firm’s implication in the Grenfell Tower tragedy and the deal was terminated with immediate effect on Wednesday.
Kingspan’s insulation materials were used on the tower and have been blamed as a factor for the fire spread which killed 72 people.
Mercedes team principal promised to meet with Grenfell United about the deal, and did so after the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix this weekend.
In a statement released on Wednesday, a team statement said that the deal had been intended to have a “positive impact” but admitted that it was “not appropriate” to continue.
Grenfell United said that they were “pleased to hear” that the deal had been terminated with immediate effect, in a statement.
““We met with Toto Wolff and provided him and his team with the facts of Kingspan’s involvement in Grenfell, and Mercedes have done the right thing by dissociating themselves from Kingspan.
“This hopefully sends a clear message that people must be put before profit,” the statement added.
Kingspan also released a statement saying that they “saw a unique opportunity” to to chair their new Sustainability Working Group with the F1 team.
“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,” the statement continued.
Kingspan have again emphasised that they “had no role in the Grenfell Tower refurbishment.”
They do however, accept their role in the enquiry, saying: “our Kingspan Insulation UK business is a core participant in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and fully supports the Inquiry’s important work.”
Despite the controversy surrounding the team at the time, Lewis Hamilton won the race in Saudi Arabia, meaning that he goes into the season finale in Abu Dhabi level on points with title rival Max Verstappen.
(Image: Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team)
