Mercedes F1 team and firm end deal opposed by fire survivors

By DANICA KIRKA
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — 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’’ raised by the deal and “jointly agreed that it’s not appropriate to move forward at the current point in time.’’ 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 company reiterated that it had nothing to do with the refurbishment project blamed for the fire. It said its insulation was misused in the tower without its knowledge.