Mercedes ends F1 deal that put Grenfell-linked company on Lewis Hamilton's car

Survivors of 2017 tower block fire and relatives of victims were angry that Kingspan was allowed a sponsorship deal

The controversial sponsorship threatened to overshadow Lewis Hamilton's shot at another world championship title. EPA

A Formula One sponsorship between Mercedes and an insulation firm linked to the 2017 Grenfell disaster in London has been ended.

The Mercedes Grand Prix team and Kingspan announced they would end their agreement with immediate effect on Wednesday.

Before the December 3 race, when the Kingspan sponsorship was on his car for the first time, driver Lewis Hamilton said he had no decision in which logos were on his vehicle.

Grenfell survivors and relatives of the victims were angry that Kingspan was allowed a sponsorship deal in one of the world’s most high-profile sports.

Mercedes announced the deal with Kingspan was over on Twitter.

“The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team and Kingspan today announced that they have mutually agreed to end their partnership,” Mercedes said.

“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.”

Kingspan said in a statement that it was “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”.

Kingspan’s K15 insulation was one of the products installed on Grenfell Tower during its refurbishment, although the majority of the insulation used on the West London tower block was made by another company. The tower caught fire in June 2017 in an inferno that cost the lives of 82 people.

An inquiry is examining how Grenfell Tower came to be coated in flammable materials that contributed to the spread of flames in June 2017.

Kingspan said last week: “The Grenfell Tower fire was a tragedy that should never have happened, and Kingspan supports the vitally important work of the inquiry to determine what went wrong and why.