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Checo Perez's Indiana Jones helmet couldn't save him from Canada GP failure

The Mexican driver is struggling to get out of the slump.

Red Bull Racing pilot Sergio 'Checo' Perez.
Red Bull Racing pilot Sergio 'Checo' Perez.LAPRESSE

Checo Perez is not having his best moment, and it was evident in the free practice sessions and qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix, where he barely made it to Q2 and will start from 12th position on the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit.

However, off the track, Checo has remained very active, especially on his social media, where he even showed off the helmet he is using this weekend, inspired by the new Indiana Jones movie, Dial of Destiny, which premieres at the end of the month.

Did the distraction of the Indiana Jones helmet affect Checo Perez?

"We decided to do this unveiling a bit differently. Ready to be accompanied by one of my favorite characters in this race. Who else is excited to see the new Indiana Jones movie on June 29th in theaters?" Checo stated on social media.

Although it is a collaboration between Perez and Paramount Studios, the reality is that other factors affected the Mexican driver's performance during qualifying once again.

Firstly, the rainy weather affected the first free practice session, which practically didn't take place, so the teams couldn't gather the necessary data. During today's qualifying session, the weather was a factor for several drivers, and the tire change that occurred in the middle of Q2 affected Checo. While most others were using the soft compound tires, the team brought him into the pits to put on intermediate (green) tires for wet conditions.

However, even when Perez was on faster tires, he couldn't find his rhythm. His problem is that this is the third consecutive Grand Prix where he couldn't even qualify for Q3.

A challenging qualifying session for Checo...but not for Max

After the three qualifying sessions at the Canadian Grand Prix, Sergio Michel Perez Mendoza only managed to secure 12th place at the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit, which will make Sunday's race very difficult for him. However, it wasn't all bad for Red Bull Racing, as Max Verstappen secured pole position.

The Canadian Grand Prix hasn't been Checo Perez's best friend, and in recent weeks, Red Bull's strategy seems to be working against the Mexican driver, who is increasingly uncertain about his future with the Austrian team.

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