Tuukka Taponen was delighted to finally show the pace he and MP Motorsport have had after qualifying second for the 2026 FIA Formula 3 (F3) Feature Race at Spa-Francorchamps.
The Finn was just 0.212 seconds away from pole position, with Freddie Slater taking the top spot in a rain-affected session that ended early after a Red Flag.
Speaking in the FIA Formula 3 post-Qualifying press conference, attended by Pit Debrief, Taponen reflected on a strong performance and praised MP Motorsport’s progress after a difficult start to the season.
“I’m very happy with second place, to be honest. We have done a step forward. It’s been a difficult year so far for us, finally able to show what we are capable of when things goes well. So, yeah, I’m very happy for this.”
Battle for track position at Spa
Rain began to fall early in Qualifying, with drivers desperate to set a competitive time before the circuit deteriorated. As the session continued, the battle for the perfect track position became increasingly difficult, with every driver searching for a slipstream.
“Yeah, I think the sequence for everyone was not ideal with the drops of rain, as well as the chaos at the end, everyone waiting for the slipstream and ideal track position. So yeah, it was a tricky session for everyone.”
MP Motorsport did not make any major changes to the car between Free Practice and Qualifying, although the switch in tyre compound and additional grip made a noticeable difference.
“Not really. Everyone from the team felt pretty good with the car. So yeah, we didn’t do massive changes. Just the tyre compound went from Hard to Medium. So it changes quite a lot as well as the extra grip coming from F1 and F2. It does change, you need to set up for that.”
Reflecting on the wet-weathered conditions
The result during the F3 Spa-Francorchamps Qualifying session marked a return to the kind of pace Taponen believes MP Motorsport should have been showing after the team struggled during the previous round at Silverstone.
“Yeah, even the conditions were tricky. We had the pace to be in top three when we did the normal session. So yeah, we kind of came back what we were in Spielberg. We had a bit off weekend in Silverstone and now we are back in the, we are back where we belong. So yeah was was not only for the tricky and messy session.”
The session ultimately ended prematurely after several drivers slowed while attempting to find the ideal position on track.
Strømsted collided with Yevan David, who then made contact with José Garfias, while Hiyu Yamakoshi was also involved. The incident brought out the Red Flag with 9:38 remaining, and the worsening rain prevented Qualifying from resuming.
The incident also reignited questions about how Qualifying should be run at Spa-Francorchamps, particularly given the problems caused by drivers searching for a tow.
When asked whether the field should be split into two groups, as is done at circuits such as Monaco and Monza, Taponen was unwilling to offer a definitive solution.
“Yeah, I’m not Steward, I don’t make the decision. But yeah It’s for sure messy always, as we saw already in FP. Everybody waiting for that tow everybody waiting for a good track position. So yeah, I don’t know to be honest what should be changed on that to avoid it.”
Looking ahead to the Feature Race
Pit Debrief also asked the Finn what could threaten his chances of converting his starting positions into a podium or victory in Sunday’s Feature Race.
“Yeah, obviously one can only win so we will all push for that. Will be, will be tricky race as Freddie said with the DRS zones. You have one DRS more than in the previous year, so it can change quite many things actually.”
The Spa-Francorchamps session also marked the first wet Qualifying session of the 2026 F3 season, although Taponen explained that the track was largely dry when the drivers completed their first runs.
“Yeah, actually the first run was was with the dry tyres and on the dry track. Just a few drops of rain, but was all the time getting more and more and yeah, and with that red flag the rain fall and came a bit more. So yeah, it was basically dry session just starting to rain.”
With track position and slipstream both crucial around the seven-kilometre circuit, Taponen explained how important it was to work with the team to find the right position on track.
“Yeah, you just need that tow for a good result. You cannot really do it without tow. The weather made it very tricky as well because you wanted to get pole position as soon as possible because the rain was starting to come. But again, you couldn’t push too much on the out lap because you wanted to get the tow. So yeah, it’s very crucial here.”
