Australian TikTok viral sensations the Shepmates have been blasted for filming F1 star George Russell going to the bathroom in a shocking invasion of privacy at the Australian Grand Prix.
Twin brothers Archie and Miles Shepherd recorded the Mercedes driver relieving himself at the Albert Park track while one of them stood next to him and posted the footage to TikTok on Saturday with the caption ‘POV: When you meet George Russell at the urinals’.
The clip was deleted from TikTok and Instagram after the brothers – who rose to fame by lip-synching commentary for high-profile sporting moments – were slammed on social media.
Twin brothers Archie and Miles Shepherd (pictured) have been branded ‘vile’ for invading F1 star George Russell’s privacy by filming him using the bathroom at the Australian Grand Prix
Furious race fans have called for the influencers to face legal action for the shocking act – with some calling for Russell (pictured) and his Mercedes team to sue the pair
In the footage one of the brothers stands next to Russell at the urinal before he says, ‘I just took a p**s next to George Russell.
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‘I know what you’re thinking – how big is it? That stays between me and George. There’s confidentiality in the men’s urinal.
‘What I can say is he looks really relaxed. Confident stream.
‘We were there for a while so he’s obviously really hydrated and prepared for the race. He really opened the floodgates.’
Daily Mail Australia has chosen not to publish any stills or vision from the clip featuring Russell.
Russell (pictured left with teammate Lewis Hamilton in Melbourne on Saturday) has not made any comment on the ‘reprehensible’ video
The British star will start seventh on the grid after a less-than-ideal run in qualifying on Saturday (pictured)
Many sports fans believe the twins have ‘cancelled themselves’ by taking and posting the clip
The brothers also pretended to be pit crew mechanics in a separate video taken in Melbourne this weekend, and got F1 identity David Croft to help them lip-synch to commentary from a recent football match in another clip.
At the time of writing, neither Russell nor the Mercedes team have commented on the matter.
Sports broadcaster Shane McInnes spoke for many F1 fans when he described the Shepmates’ actions as ‘disgusting’
‘The behaviour of @shepmates recording Mercedes driver George Russell at a urinal at the #AusGP, posting it on Instagram & TikTok ad then boasting about it is disgusting and reprehensible. Will they apologise? Even if they do, credentials for future races should be denied,’ he posted on X.
Many commenters believed the brothers’ actions broke the law.
‘Hey @shepmates I hope the security finds you and asks you to leave the track. You’re the type of person who makes it harder for real f1 fans to meet the drivers. It’s illegal and imo non contact sexual assault. Akin to revenge porn. Especially showing it on socials,’ one wrote on X.
‘Hey @shepmates did you guys know it’s illegal to film someone in the washroom? @ausgrandprix do something about this,’ another commenter added.
George Russell suffers crash on last lap of Australian Grand Prix
Sport broadcaster Shane McInnes spoke for many F1 fans when he lashed out at the brothers for recording and posting the footage
Many commenters on social media branded Shepmates’ actions illegal and called for the pair to be punished
Other F1 fans said the duo had ‘cancelled themselves’ and ‘napalmed their careers’ by filming and posting the footage.
‘Posting a video of a man using the bathroom for some f**king likes is insane. just because he’s famous does not mean you have any sort of right to film an intimate moment like that. @shepmates you are absolutely disgusting,’ another fan wrote.
Other commenters called for Russell and Mercedes to sue Shepmates, and there were calls for them to face ‘legal punishment’ over the ‘vile’ intrusion.
Russell will start from seventh on the grid, with his qualifying time lagging almost a second behind that of reigning world champion and pole sitter Max Verstappen.
The 26-year-old did beat out his teammate Lewis Hamilton, who will start 11th on the grid in his worst qualifying result in Melbourne.
