Mercedes ends controversial Kingspan F1 sponsorship after backlash

Ahead of last weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Mercedes announced that Kingspan’s logo would feature on the team’s car for the rest of the season.

Due to Kingspan’s link to the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the team received backlash from the survivors’ group and various MPs including Michael Gove.

Some of the company’s product was used for the refurbishment of the tower block, but Kingspan insists it played no role in the fire that killed 72 people in 2017.

Team boss Toto Wolff apologised during the Jeddah weekend for the "hurt" caused by the announcement, while Lewis Hamilton distanced himself from the decision to link up with Kingspan.

On Wednesday morning, Mercedes released a statement: “The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team and Kingspan today announced that they have mutually agreed to end their partnership.

“Announced last week, the new partnership included Kingspan chairing a new Sustainability Working Group for the team, and aimed to deliver carbon reductions through their leading-edge environmentally sustainable solutions for the team's future campus.

“However, both parties have subsequently concluded that it is not appropriate for the partnership to move forward at the current point in time, notwithstanding its intended positive impact, and we have therefore agreed that it will be discontinued with immediate effect.”

In its own statement, Kingspan added: “We are deeply aware of the sensitivities raised in recent days, and so we have jointly agreed that it’s not appropriate to move forward at the current point in time.

“Much has been written about this over the past few days, and out of consideration for our customers and all the great people who work for us, we believe we must respond. We had no role in the Grenfell Tower refurbishment. However, our Kingspan Insulation UK business is a core participant in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and fully supports the Inquiry’s important work.”