Formula 1 fans were just treated to one heck of a race at the Circuit of the Americas with high-speed crashes, fumbled pit stops and overtakes galore at the United States Grand Prix. However, despite all the action on track, one particular moment off track has gotten social media abuzz and it somehow involved the CEO of Apple, Tim Cook.
In case you weren’t awake at 3am onwards to catch the race, at the final lap, Tim Cook was brought on to trackside to wave the chequered flag at the finish line, which signals the end of the race. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this done before of course, as Formula 1 has a long tradition of bringing in special guests to wave the chequered flag. Cook was there likely due to the fact that Brad Pitt and Lewis Hamilton have teamed up to produce a new Formula 1 movie, which will premiere on Apple TV+.
Great to see Apple CEO @tim_cook here in Austin this weekend 👍#USGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/iop9IHEm9D
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 23, 2022
However, once he stepped up to actually wave the chequered flag though, it’s safe to say that he certainly didn’t seem excited or even interested at the action that we all just saw on the track. In fact, he even looked a tad bored, slowly and gently waving the flag side to side as the likes of Max Verstappen, Hamilton and Charles Leclerc zoom past him and the finish line. This scene was broadcast live to the millions watching at home, and it didn’t take long for the internet to take notice with the Formula 1 side of Twitter now full of memes and jokes about the Apple CEO.
Tim Cook waving that flag as if he’s having to touch a Windows PC 😆 pic.twitter.com/Y2BQfm32Em
— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) October 23, 2022
Could the guy waving the chequered flag look anymore bored? 😂😂😂 #USGP
— WTF1 (@wtf1official) October 23, 2022
F1: Tim, wanna wave the checkered flag?
— Trung Phan (@TrungTPhan) October 23, 2022
TIM COOK: Yes, absolutely.
F1: The F1 show is staying with Netflix though.
TIM COOK: pic.twitter.com/elwyiRqBSI
Tim Cook waving the checkered flag with the enthusiasm of me doing a software update on my phone pic.twitter.com/I6wDSHQuwd
— CJ Fogler AKA Perc70 #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) October 23, 2022
Has Tim Cook never waved a flag before? pic.twitter.com/j049nABO0I
— Sickos Committee (@SickosCommittee) October 23, 2022
Unfortunate mix-up for Tim Cook after signing up to the “surrendering your country” flag-waving course instead of the “F1 chequered flag” classes pic.twitter.com/GOY89gncjZ
— Chris Dixon (@chrismd10) October 23, 2022
I think there needs to be a formal training course for chequered flag wavers
— Matt Gallagher (@MattyWTF1) October 23, 2022
That has to be one of the worst we’ve ever seen
In defense to Cook, he was probably there since the start of the day and could’ve just been a bit tired after having to meet with media and fans alike. He was also invited to walk along the starting grid prior to the start of the race, which in the sweltering Texas heat is never an easy task. Incredibly, it also wasn’t the first time in recent history that an invited guest waving the flag ended up trending on social media. At last year’s Monaco GP, Serena Williams waved the chequered flag and was interviewed alongside winner Verstappen after the race in an awkward exchange that was also joked about by fans.
