Mercedes Ends Sponsorship Deal With Firm Linked To Grenfell Tower Disaster

The Mercedes Formula One team’s sponsorship deal with Kingspan, a firm that made insulation material involved in the Grenfell Tower disaster, has ended a week after it was announced.

The Kingspan logo appeared on the Mercedes driver Sir Lewis Hamilton’s car as he won the Saudi Grand Prix last weekend. However, Mercedes was heavily criticised over the deal, with survivors of the June 2017 tragedy describing it as “truly shocking”.

The Grenfell survivors’ group, Grenfell United, welcomed the announcement to end the deal, confirming that it had met with Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff to discuss their concerns.

The inquiry into the devastating Grenfell fire that killed 72 people, has raised questions over the safety of Kingspan’s plastic foam boards – used in a small quantity on the tower’s cladding.

Kingspan says that its K15 insulation made up only 5% of the insulation in the block and was used without its recommendation. It points out that the exterior cladding, which it did not manufacture, was deemed by an inquiry into the fire to be the “principal reason” for how quickly it spread.

The sponsorship was hailed as a landmark deal just a week ago – with both sides promoting it as part of a drive to sustainability.