Mercedes have ended their controversial £4million-a-year sponsorship deal with Kingspan before this weekend’s world championship showdown between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen with a termination agreement to be announced on Wednesday.
Hamilton’s Mercedes W12 was the first to feature the Irish insulation firm’s logo at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix. It happened after the revelation that Kingspan products were used four years ago in Grenfell Tower. There, 72 people lost their lives in the tragic fire.
After several days of negotiations that included Grenfell survivors as well as the government, Mercedes plans to remove Hamilton’s Kingspan logo from Hamilton’s Mercedes before the Abu Dhabi decisive race.
Mercedes have ended their controversial £4million-a-year sponsorship deal with Kingspan
Sources who were familiar with the discussion told SportmailThe decision to end the multi-year lucrative agreement was mutual. Both Mercedes and Kingspan recognized that there were too many complexities surrounding Grenfell and that it wasn’t appropriate to keep the deal.
Mercedes announced the change less than seven days after its initial announcement. The deal was described as a sustainability partnership.
Toto Wolff (team principal) apologized for the distress inflicted on Grenfell Survivors members and bereaved family before last weekend’s Grand Prix.
Hamilton will be happy to not have to enter the largest race of his career, as he attempts to win a record 8 world title. The Kingspan controversy is an added distraction.
Last weekend, the 36-year old tried to distance himself from sponsorship deals by stating that ‘it really has nothing to do’
Last weekend, Hamilton’s Mercedes W12 saw the Kingspan logo for the first-time.
Kingspan products were used at Grenfell Tower in which 72 people perished in a terrible fire that occurred four years ago.
Mercedes was also subject to significant political pressure, as Communities Secretary Michael Gove exhorted them to reconsider last week.
Gove posted, “Deeply disappointed” that Mercedes accepted sponsorship from Kingspan for cladding while the Grenfell Inquiry continues.
“I am writing Mercedes asking them to reconsider. Grenfell deserves better.
Kingspan K15 insulation was installed during Grenfell Tower’s refurbishment.
Kingspan, in a statement issued last Friday stated that its K15 product, which constituted about five percent of Grenfell Tower’s insulation, was used in place of Kingspan’s knowledge as a substitute in an installation that wasn’t compliant with regulations.