LONDON (AP) – The building materials manufacturer Kingspan says it has agreed with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 racing team to end a partnership agreement after protests by families of people who died in a high-rise fire in London.
The company said in a statement it was “aware of the sensitivities raised by the deal in recent days.” “So we both agreed that at this point it is not appropriate to move forward,” said Kingspan.
The team announced a sponsorship deal last week to allow Kingspan to put its logo on the nose cone of World Champion Lewis Hamilton’s car, starting with a weekend race in Saudi Arabia.
Survivors and family members of the 72 people who died in the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire had asked the team to cut 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.
Kingspan reiterated Wednesday that it had nothing to do with the redevelopment project responsible for the fire, even though its insulation was used without his knowledge.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff apologized to family members after they complained. He said in a statement last week that he hoped to meet with the Grenfell Tower survivors as soon as possible.
The deal was particularly hard to criticize for Mercedes because Hamilton, a seven-time world champion from Stevenage, England, openly supported the Grenfell community. Hamilton is currently in second place in the Formula 1 drivers’ championship with two races outstanding.
The post Mercedes F1 team and firm end deal against fire survivors first appeared on monter-une-startup.
