George Russell said he has has banned himself from using social media and reading the news because it does not bring him any positivity. The Mercedes driver has a combined following of nearly seven million on X and Instagram. But Russell, 25, who was involved in a first-corner collision with team-mate Lewis Hamilton at the last round in Qatar, says he has stepped back from using the platforms. Speaking to the PA news agency, Russell said: “I stopped using Twitter (‘X’) about six months ago. “I work with a social team and everything that is posted is in my own words and is signed off through me. I want to stay connected with the fans. But I don’t use the app and I have started to do the same with Instagram. “I respect that everyone has an opinion. But I don’t need to read the praise because that doesn’t bring me anything, and I don’t need to see the negative comments because that doesn’t bring me anything either. “But when I stopped using Twitter (‘X’), whenever I was on my phone I was on Instagram, and when I stopped using Instagram, I thought I needed to look at something so I started to read the news. But every headline was negative. “Other than being informed about what is going on in the world, reading negative headlines one after another didn’t bring anything to me, so now I am totally off social media.” Russell heads into the final five rounds of the campaign eighth in the standings, 62 points and five places adrift of Hamilton. “It all stemmed after the the summer break when I didn’t use my phone at all,” added Russell, who will line up from fifth on the grid for his 100th race in Sunday’s United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin. “During that period when I had my family and friends around me I had an average screen time of 15 minutes. In a normal week I have an average screen time of three hours. “I saw a post that said ‘if you use your phone on average for four hours a day, by the time you die you will have spent 15 years looking at your phone’. “And when I read that, I was like, ‘Jesus I could spend 15 years of my life on my phone.’ I can do something wiser than scrolling through Instagram memes.”

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Sheffield United paid a poignant tribute to Maddy Cusack ahead of Sunday’s Premier League match against Newcastle. The 27-year-old, who was the longest-serving player in the Blades’ women’s side and also worked in the club’s commercial department, died earlier this week. Boss Paul Heckingbottom said on Friday that the club were “suffering” following the tragic news and they paid a fitting tribute ahead of Sunday afternoon’s game at Bramall Lane. The Blades, who worked with Cusack’s family over how they could commemorate her, redesigned their matchday programme to put a picture of their midfielder on the front and the flag at Bramall Lane flew at half-mast. There was a eulogy read out, accompanied by a video tribute on the big screen, before kick-off, with United great Tony Currie and women’s captain Sophie Barker accompanying Cusack’s mum and sister when laying a wreath on the centre circle. United entered the pitch wearing shirts with Cusack’s name and number eight on the back and also wore black armbands, while club staff were dressed in black ties. There was a minute’s silence before kick-off, impeccably observed by all four sides of the ground, while Newcastle chief executive Amanda Staveley also laid flowers outside the stadium before the game. In the eighth minute fans stood for a minute’s applause to remember Cusack. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live