San Francisco, Oct 24 (IANS): Tech giant Apple CEO Tim Cook made a surprise appearance at the Formula 1 US Grand Prix, waving a checkered flag at the finishing line in an unusually slow manner.

As reported by AppleInsider, the Formula 1 United States Grand was held at the "Circuit of the Americas" in Austin, Texas. After 56 laps of racing, the checkered flag was waved by none other than Tim Cook.

Including Cook, other celebrities were also present at the racing event that includes Shaquille O'Neal, Brad Pitt, Serena Williams, and Ed Sheeran.

The CEO was pictured holding and waving the flag on ESPN while wearing a dark polo shirt and sunglasses, but he soon came under fire from online critics, the report added.

Cook, wearing a dark polo shirt and sunglasses, was shown moving the flag cautiously and carefully from side to side rather than waving it quickly or enthusiastically.

Twitter users commented, telling the Apple CEO that he's "not surrendering in a war" and saying "Hey grandpa, calm down".

"Someone tell Tim Cook he's waving the chequered flag, not surrendering in a war," a user posted.

In the race, Max Verstappen surpassed Lewis Hamilton's record for number of wins in a season by passing him and winning his 13th win of the year.