Mercedes F1 team ends controversial Kingspan deal with immediate effect

The company said in a statement that it was “deeply aware of the sensitivities raised in recent days,’’ by the deal announced last week.

Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton in action.

Building materials maker Kingspan says it has agreed with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One racing team to end a partnership deal after protests from families of people who died in a high-rise fire in London.

The company said in a statement that it was “deeply aware of the sensitivities raised in recent days,’’ by the deal announced last week. “So we have jointly agreed that it’s not appropriate to move forward at the current point in time,’’ Kingspan said.

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Survivors and family members of the 72 people who died in the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire had asked the team to sever its ties with Kingspan. The fire started in a fourth-floor refrigerator and raced up the residential building, which experts said was likely caused by flammable materials used in an exterior renovation.

Kingspan reiterated it had nothing to do with the refurbishment project blamed for the fire, though its insulation was used without its knowledge.