ART Grand Prix’s Tuukka Taponen continues his impressive rookie campaign in the 2025 FIA Formula 3 Championship by securing a podium finish in the Sprint Race at the Monaco GP. This marks his second podium appearance of the season. Tapone,n who qualified P9 in Qualifying, took advantage of the reverse grid starting the Sprint Race in P4. The Finnish driver finished the race in P2 just behind Martinius Stenshorne, with teammate Laurens van Hoepen completing the team’s double podium.
Taponen reflecting on the Monaco GP Sprint Race
Pole sitter Giusti had a poor start to the Sprint Race and slipped into fourth. Taponen was one of the drivers who benefited from it, gaining two positions and finding himself at P2.
From there on, it was a careful and precise drive from Taponen. Who shared that his only goal was to stay on track. Saying the race was “over after the first corner”.
Taponen was, however, very satisfied with his race start as it was essential for racing at the Monaco GP.
“For sure, I had a really good start. I made up two places there. Basically the race was over after the first corner. Obviously I focused on keeping the car on track, and I didn’t take any risks to push too much. I was happy after the start, so the start is really important here, as we know.”
There were several close calls between Taponen and Monaco GP Sprint Race winner Martinius during the race. However, the Finnish driver revealed he never considered making a move, as he felt satisfied with his position. As a result, he never felt at risk of a collision at any point.
“No, I think Martinius was controlling his tyres and trying to get the fastest lap, that’s why I was close to him at some points. He was pushing and then cooling the tyres and again pushing so I was never going to attack him because I was happy where I was.“
Taponen consistent performance and confidence
Taponen is currently P4 in the 2025 F3 Championship standings with 45 points, just 32 points behind championship leader Rafael Câmara of Trident.
The Ferrari Driver Academy talent climbed to fourth by consistently scoring points in both the Sprint and Feature Races since the season opener in Bahrain. Determined to maintain this momentum, Taponen aims to maximise his points haul in Sunday’s Feature Race, where he will start from P8 on the grid.
“Yes, for sure, our target tomorrow is just to score some points again. I’ll take everything I can. Again, focus on that first lap, especially the start. We will try to keep this momentum up.“
Race start practices
Race starts are crucial in any Grand Prix, but they hold even greater importance at the Monaco GP. The circuit’s tight, narrow layout offers few overtaking opportunities, making a strong launch into Sainte Dévote vital for gaining positions or avoiding early collisions. So, how do drivers prepare for race starts at such a demanding track?
Taponen explains that reaction time can be trained both during the off-season and on track. However, he emphasises that the key lies in having the correct car setup and the right clutch map. He also highlights tyre temperature as another critical factor in achieving a strong start.
“Yeah, I mean off-season you can obviously practise your reaction time like with the different stops but I think it’s really important to have the right procedure with this car and also the right class map for the start because in the end you know the driver doesn’t have a lot to do with the start. You just need to have everything right. The tyre [temperature] needs to be correct, the class map needs to be right and after you just hope that you get a good reaction time and a good start.“
The prestige of winning Monaco and its challenges
Winning the Monaco GP carries a unique prestige and status for any driver. Many consider it a career-defining moment, especially as some drivers without world titles are still remembered for their Monaco triumphs—like Daniel Ricciardo and his dominant 2018 weekend with Red Bull Racing.
Reflecting on his Sprint Race podium at the Monaco GP, Taponen agreed with his fellow podium finishers that a Feature Race victory would hold far greater significance.
“Yeah, I think similar to what they said. It’s a cool event, even the sprint podium is nice to be there, but it’s not the main one, so yeah, not a lot to say. I think they said everything.“
Monaco challenges drivers to be precise and accurate on every lap. Its narrow layout, heavy traffic, and limited runoff areas mean even the smallest mistake can prove costly. For Taponen, the key to mastering the unforgiving Monaco circuit is focus.
“Yeah, I think it’s not ever easy, you know. You have a narrow track, you need to keep focus every lap, every quarter. So yeah, it’s just never easy. It’s a bit special circuit, so you need to keep a good concentration every lap.”
Strategy for the Feature Race.
Starting in the top 10 for Sunday’s Feature Race means Taponen will aim to stay in the points and avoid taking unnecessary risks. The Finnish driver admits he will play it safe but remains ready to seize any opportunity to maximise his points haul.
“I mean, I start P8 tomorrow, so I’m in the top 10, so from there, you know you can get four points if you just stay there. I think, to be honest, I’m not going to take massive risks tomorrow in the race. Obviously start is important, so I will go for it if there is a space, and yeah, to do the same job as today. So try to put all the effort on the start and then see how it goes.”
ART Grand Prix’s current season performance
Teammate Laurens van Hoepen admitted that the start of his current season has been much tougher compared to last year. He stated that the team “just need to work to get close to, for example, a team like Trident, but we’re working hard.”
Taponen agrees with van Hoepen, saying the team has identified its weakness and is working hard to improve. He believes they are very close to reaching a stage where they can fight for wins.
“Yes, so we are on the same team always with Laurens, and we know our main issue, but like we are improving really well, we are working hard, and we just need to take one more step and then we will be fighting for the race wins and pole positions properly.“
Daring to overtake
Monaco’s reputation for difficult overtaking meant many fans didn’t expect the number of moves seen during the Sprint Race. Some argue that the smaller size of F3 cars compared to F1 machines made overtaking easier.
Taponen shared his thoughts, saying he had not noticed the multiple overtakes but believed the new car model likely made them more common.
Y”eah I don’t know neither what’s happened in the back but I think with this new car you can probably follow a bit closer to the car in front compared to the last year’s car so I think it’s helping you to be a bit closer and it’s super important if you want to even think about overtaking here because it’s super difficult so I think that’s probably helping it also.”
Fighting for the Championship
Taponen is only 32 points behind the championship leader. He has also shown great consistency in his results every weekend. The Finnish driver himself believes that consistency is of utmost importance as he continues to maximise each weekend, as it could put him in a position to fight for the championship later in the year.
“Consistency is the key and I have been able to maximise quite well what we have had on the last few weekends and we have been working hard obviously to get to the top and we are not far from that so we just need to keep this good momentum up and keep scoring points and then at the end of the season we will see where we will be.“
