Hamilton distances himself from Mercedes’ Kingspan F1 deal row

The survivors’ group of the Grenfell Tower fire and government minister Michael Gove are among those to have called on Mercedes to end its partnership with the Irish building materials firm. 

Some of Kingspan’s product was used in the refurbishment of the tower block, though the company insists its K15 insulation was used without its knowledge. A public enquiry into the disaster which killed 72 people in June 2017 is ongoing. 

Hamilton was drawn into initial reports by some UK media outlets despite having no involvement in the deal. 

The seven-time world champion was asked about the matter for the first time on Saturday after qualifying at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

“It’s not something that I feel like I need to speak of publicly,” Hamilton said. 

“I had nothing to do with the team signing any of the sponsors. Tommy [Hilfiger] was probably the only one I brought to the team.

“It was news to me when I heard the things that happened this week.

“I was very much aware and watching very closely all the families that were affected by what happened. We know there’s been a huge outcry and an amazing amount of support from people through the community around there.

“This really doesn’t have anything to do with me and I know Toto [Wolff] is sorting it.

“Unfortunately my name is associated with it because it’s put on my car but whether that remains the same, we shall see.”

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff responded to a letter from Grenfell United by apologising for the “hurt” caused by the deal. He also offered to meet with the group to discuss the situation further. 

Speaking to media on Saturday evening, Wolff stressed he wanted to retain privacy while Mercedes looks “at it as a matter of urgency”, but admitted “there’s certainly a lot of learning personally and for the team.” 

On Hamilton’s suggestion that Mercedes could withdraw Kingspan’s logos from its cars, Wolff said: “We have discussed also that with the important people and we will reach out to Kingspan and come up with the right solution. 

“There is a contractual agreement behind these things and we want to do the right thing with integrity.”

Asked directly if he regretted the deal, Wolff replied: “We all develop and learn in our lives and this is clearly a situation that will make me improve in the future and my assessment, my decision-making.”