At the last Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Mercedes announced Kingspan as a new sponsor, but the Brackley-based team faced protests following the company’s involvement in the Grenfell Tower disaster.
Kingspan insulation was one of the products used on the outside of the tower and its role in the tragedy that killed 72 people is the subject of a public investigation.
The pressure group Grenfell United, made up of survivors of the tragedy and relatives of the disappeared, wrote to Toto Wolff to express their disgust at the sponsorship deal with Kingspan.
UK Government Minister Michael Gove also wrote an open letter to Wolff, urging him to reconsider the deal and, out of anger at the situation, warned him that the British government could change the advertising rules for motorsport.
Wolff teased last week that Mercedes could reassess its deal with Kingspan and today the team announced the end of the sponsorship by mutual agreement.
“The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team and Kingspan today announced that they have mutually agreed to end their partnership,” read a Mercedes statement.
“Announced last week, the new partnership called for Kingspan to chair a new sustainability working group for the team and aimed to reduce carbon emissions through its cutting-edge green solutions for the team’s future campus.”
“However, both sides subsequently concluded that it was inappropriate for the partnership to continue at the present time, despite its expected positive impact, and it was therefore agreed that it will be terminated with immediate effect.”
Damage to the front wing of Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12, after contact with Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Kingspan also issued a statement explaining the early termination of the sponsorship which states that the company is “deeply aware of the criticisms raised in recent days”.
Kingspan also moved to respond to some of the criticisms received by pointing out that “he had no role in the renovation of Grenfell Tower”, and that he is “an active part in the Grenfell Tower investigation and fully supports the important work of the investigation.” “.ù
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the completely unacceptable conduct and the emails that emerged in the course of the investigation. We sincerely apologize for these actions by a small group of employees of our company Kingspan Insulation UK. This does not reflect in no way the culture or the values of Kingspan “.
#Mercedes #ends #deal #Kingspan #early