Elon Musk, Prince Harry and other celebrities at United States GP

Lewis Hamilton impresses with second-place finish before his Mercedes car is disqualified

Entrepreneur Elon Musk at the pit lane during the United States GP in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, October 22, 2023. AFP

AUSTIN, TEXAS - OCTOBER 22: Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner talks with Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex in the garage prior to the F1 Grand Prix of United States at Circuit of The Americas on October 22, 2023 in Austin, Texas. Mark Thompson / Getty Images / AFP (Photo by Mark Thompson / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

SpaceX, Tesla and platform X boss Elon Musk in Austin, Texas. AFP

Prince Harry with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. Reuters

Sir Jackie Stewart with Rory McIlroy on the grid during the United States GP. AFP

Heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua during the United States GP in Austin, Texas. AFP

Patrick Dempsey with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and Geri Halliwell. AFP

Actor Cole Hauser in Austin, Texas. AFP

British boxer Anthony Joshua walks on the grid. AFP

Astronaut Reid Wiseman during the US GP. AFP

Sprint star Sha'Carri Richardson and Joe Jonas at the US Grand Prix. AFP

British runner Dina Asher-Smith at the Red Bull garage. AFP

Newly crowned triple world champion Max Verstappen completed a hat trick of Texas victories as he claimed the 50th win of his career in a tense United States Grand Prix.

The Dutchman, 26, started sixth on the grid in his Red Bull car before working his way through the field to take the chequered flag 2.225 seconds ahead of resurgent seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, who was disqualified hours after the race when his Mercedes car failed a technical inspection.

The decision wiped out Hamilton's best finish in months and comes just as Mercedes showed some new life and pace in a season dominated by Verstappen and Red Bull. Hamilton had Verstappen within his sights and may have even caught up if given a few extra laps.

“It is of course disappointing to be disqualified post-race but that doesn’t take away from the progress we’ve made this weekend,” Hamilton said.

Problem arose in the post-race inspection when race stewards inspected the skid block. The wood resin block, or “plank”, under the car is used to ensure teams follow the rules of how close they run the cars to the ground in search of better speed and performance.

If the skid block is found to have been reduced by more than 1 millimetre, the car and driver are disqualified. Hamilton and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who finished sixth, were both disqualified.

The drama that unfolded in Austin was witnessed by a number of famous names, including Elon Musk, Prince Harry, Rory McIlroy and many others who can all be seen in the gallery above.