Jordan's Track Talk

Tag: Tuukka Taponen

  • F3 – RND 7 – Day 1

    Practice

    Freddie Slater ended the Budapest Free Practice at the top of the timesheets with a 1:33.947.

    The Trident driver led the way by over a tenth from Bando Badoer, with his Rodin Motorsport teammate just behind in third.

    Woohyun Shin was the first driver out on track in the early stages. He completed a 1:36.471 but that time was deleted after he exceeded track limits at Turn 9.

    10 minutes into the session and the rest of the field – apart from the three Rodin Motorsport cars – made their way out of the pitlane.

    Ugo Ugochukwu set the pace with a 1:34.798 eclipsing title rival Slater in P2 by just 0.052s.

    With 26 minutes left, Rodin released their drivers out on track, while Matteo De Palo returned to the pitlane with damage after going off at the exit of Turn 7.

    Moments later, Salim Hanna found the barrier at Turn 5 bringing out the Red Flags.

    The session resumed with 12 minutes to go and once again Ugochukwu led the way with a 1:34.522, with Slater in P2, 0.180s behind.

    On his next lap, Hitech’s Jin Nakamura took over at the top with a 1:34.360.
    However, Slater went back to P1 with a 1:33.947, eclipsing Rodin’s Brando Bardoer time by 0.135s.

    It was not all good news for Trident however, as Noah Stromsted stopped on the run to Turn 12, bringing out the Red Flags.

    That brought the session to a close with Slater on top for a fourth consecutive practice session, ahead of Badoer and Pedro Clerot.

    Qualifying

    Tuukka Taponen left it late to take his first ever Aramco Pole Position Awards, sealing top spot with a 1:33.411.

    The MP Motorsport driver left it until the final lap of the day to take the top time by 0.042s over Slater, with teammate Mattia Colnaghi rounding out the top three – 0.072s away from Taponen.

    There was a mixture of strategies to start the session, with PREMA Racing, ART Grand Prix , DAMS Lucas Oil and Hitech all sending their drivers out later than the rest.

    But after the first set of times it was Theophile Nael on top after a 1:33.533, with Taponen his closest challenger 0.019s behind in second.

    In the battle between the top two drivers in the championship, Slater was seventh, while Ugo Ugochukwu was ninth after a huge lock up at Turn 1.

    The drivers returned to the track with 18 minutes to go on new Medium tyres.

    Slater then went quickest on a 1:33.451 with Nicola Lacorte just behind him in second, 0.064s behind, ahead of Brando Badoer in third. Critically in the title fight, Ugochukwu wad down in P12.

    The drivers returned to the pitlane to strap on another set of Mediums for their final laps of the day.

    On this occasion, Slater could not improve as Colnaghi went up to second, 0.024s off the top time.
    The Trident driver looked set for pole until Taponen snatched P1 with a 1:33.411, eclipsing Slater by just 0.040s.

  • Taponen moves to MP Motorsport for 2026

    Tuukka Taponen will return for a second season in Formula 3 next year, making the move to MP Motorsport for the 2026 campaign.

    The 18 year old had a stellar rookie year in F3, achieving three podiums on his way to finishing ninth in the Drivers’ Championship.

    Prior to that, the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy member had a trophy-laden step karting career, before making the step up to single seater racing in 2021.

    Taponen then finished second in the 2023 Formula 4 UAE Championship, before becoming the 2024 Formula Regional Middle East Champion. Later that year, he took third in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine.

    He is now set to continue in Formula 3 for another season, and is delighted to be back and to be racing with MP.

    I’m really pleased to join MP Motorsport for my second year in Formula 3. It’s wonderful news to have confirmation of my immediate future so early. It means that I have a productive winter with the team and the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy ahead of me, as we work together on the best possible preparation for the 2026 season. MP is one of the leading teams in the championship, having finished third in this year’s teams standings, and I look forward to becoming part of their family and adding to their success.
    Taponen on the news.

    At MP Motorsport, we are all happy to welcome Tuukka into our Formula 3 squad for 2026. Ever since his promotion from karts, Tuukka’s quick rise through the ranks has been remarkable. He has been one of our fiercest rivals in the past two years, so having him on our side for 2026 is absolutely great news. Along with Mattia and Alessandro, Tuukka will add to MP’s strong 2026 line-up of extremely talented youngsters all capable of fighting at the sharp end of the Formula 3 grid.
    MP Motorsport Team Principal, Sander Dorsman.

  • Taponen steps up to Formula 3

    ART Grand Prix have confirmed their second driver signing for the 2025 Formula 3 season, with Tuukka Taponen set to race for the French team.

    Taponen made the step up to single seater racing after a trophy-laden career in karting and finished second in the 2023 Formula 4 UAE Championship, all thanks to his 10 podiums, which included four victories.

    The Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy talent finished fifth in both Italian F4 and Euro 4 categories that same year, before winning the Formula Regional Middle East Championship at the start of this year.

    Since then, Taponen has been competing in the Formula Regional European Championship and currently sits third in the standings with four victories.

    The Finn has already made his debut with ART this season at the penultimate round in Spa-Francorchamps and is now excited to make the step up full time.

    I am really excited about the F3 contract with the ART GP team for the 2025 season. They already showed interest in me in the summer, giving me the opportunity to participate in last season’s FIA F3 Spa competition. The team immediately impressed me both on and off the track and it felt like coming home. ART GP has a long and successful history and I want to be a part of it in the future. ART GP is a familiar team to us Finns. For example, Valtteri Bottas won the championship with ART GP team before moving up to the Formula 1 series.
    Taponen on the news.

    We are very pleased to welcome Tuukka Taponen to the team for 2025. He’s a young driver with great potential, and his performance with us at Spa showed that he has what it takes to succeed. We’re excited to see how he will develop in the new era of Formula 3 and are confident that he will be a strong asset to the team.
    Sebastien Philippe, Team Principal.