Photo: Formula Motorsport Ltd
Ferrari junior driver Tuukka Taponen will contest another season in the FIA Formula 3 Championship in 2026, switching from ART Grand Prix to MP Motorsport.
The Finnish driver came ninth in the 2025 standings with podium finishes in the Bahrain and Monaco sprint races and in the Hungaroring feature race. He had run as high as fourth in the championship after scoring in six of the first four rounds, but only scored twice in the remaining six weekends.
Taponen was a karting world champion in the senior OK class in 2021, when he also began to gain some single-seater experience in the Formula Academy Finland series, before securing the backing of Ferrari for 2023.
He finished second in Formula 4 United Arab Emirates and fifth in the Italian and Euro 4 series that year with Prema, and then stepped up to Formula Regional for 2024 with R-ace GP, winning the Middle East championship and coming third in the European series.
“I’m really pleased to join MP Motorsport for my second year in Formula 3,” said Taponen. “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 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 completes MP’s F3 line-up for 2026, joining fellow second-year driver Alessandro Giusti and rookie Mattia Colnaghi.
“Ever since his promotion from karts, Tuukka’s quick rise through the ranks has been remarkable,” said MP boss Sander Dorsman.
“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.”