NEW MERC SPONSOR SPARKS CONTROVERSY
The stickers on the nose cones of the W12s might be relatively small, but the arrival of insulation manufacturer Kingspan as a Mercedes sponsor has had huge repercussions – running all the way to the top of British politics. Kingspan K15 insulation panels were among the products used during the refurbishment of the Grenfell Tower before it caught fire, killing 72 people, in London in June 2017.
While Kingspan has distanced itself from the tragedy, saying it was not involved in the design of the cladding system and that K15 panels made up no more than 5% of the total and were used as a substitute without its knowledge, in October 2020 it withdrew fire test reports it had been using in its marketing for the product since 2005. At the opening of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Stephanie Barwise QC, representing the bereaved families, accused the company of having a “seminally causative role” and said its “unrepentant arrogance is truly chilling”.
When it announced the partnership deal, Mercedes framed the arrangement as part of its commitment to reach net zero emissions. “Breaking new ground for Formula 1, Kingspan will chair a Sustainability Working Group for the team,” it said in a statement. “The working group’s remit will be to draw together expertise from diverse fields to contribute to the team’s objective of pioneering new approaches and technologies for emissions reduction in motorsport.”
Grenfell United, a pressure group formed by survivors of the fire and bereaved families, sent an open letter to Mercedes calling on the team to sever its relationship with Kingspan. “This news has shattered us,” it said. “By partnering with Kingspan, we believe that you are directly involved in this system which puts profit before human life. We are therefore seeking assurances from you that you will take affirmative action to disassociate yourselves from Kingspan.”
Michael Gove, the UK secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities, also weighed in with an open letter to Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff in which he made the tacit suggestion that the British government might be moved to change the rules for advertising on racing cars. The arrangement “threatens to undermine all the good work the company and sport has done,” he wrote.
As the political tensions rose, Lewis Hamilton distanced himself from the sponsorship, saying, “Unfortunately my name is associated with it because it has been on my car, but whether that remains the same, we will see.”
Wolff has agreed to meet with Grenfell United to develop a better understanding of the situation. Asked if Mercedes would re-evaluate the deal, he said: “We have also discussed that with the important people, and we will reach out to Kingspan and come up with the right solution.
“There is a contractual agreement that’s behind these things, and we want to just do the right thing with integrity. And that’s why I don’t want to further comment.”