Mercedes F1 boss apologizes as sponsor of the fire striker

Survivors and family members of the people who died in the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire immediately condemned the deal and urged the team to sever ties with Kingspan. The fire broke out in a refrigerator on the fourth floor and raced up the apartment building, which experts say was likely caused by combustible materials used in an exterior renovation.

Toto Wolff, chief executive and CEO of Mercedes-AMG Petronas, said the team “engaged” with Kingspan prior to the announcement to understand the role the company’s products played in the tragedy.

“On behalf of our team, I would like to sincerely apologize to you for the additional pain this announcement has caused,” said Wolff in a letter to the families posted on Twitter. “It was never our intention to do this.” . ”

Wolff said he hoped to meet with the Grenfell Tower survivors as soon as possible.

Criticism of the deal is particularly difficult for Mercedes because Hamilton, a seven-time world champion from Stevenage, England, openly supports the Grenfell community. Hamilton is currently in second place in the Formula 1 drivers’ championship with two races outstanding.

In a letter to Wolff earlier this week, the Grenfell United community group said Kingspan was “central to the pain and suffering we feel today,” citing evidence presented to a public inquiry into the disaster.

Kingspan said it played no part in the planning or construction of the remodeling project that was blamed for the Grenfell disaster. In addition, Kingspan products represented only a small percentage of the insulation used on the project and were used as replacements “in a non-building code system” without the knowledge of the company.

Wolff acknowledged the “deep and lingering pain” of the survivors

“I’d like to thank Grenfell United for offering to meet me in person so I can learn and understand better,” said Wolff. “I look forward to getting together as soon as possible.”

(Copyright 2021 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)