As the 2025 F3 season hits the mid-way mark, ART GP’s Tuukka Taponen’s season has been filled with ups and downs. The Finnish driver is one of several drivers who made the step up from the Formula Regional European Championship in 2025. Taponen finished the championship in P3—behind Trident’s Rafael Câmara and teammate James Wharton—with four wins and 198 points to his name. Backed by the Ferrari Driver Academy, the 18 year-old has found success early in his career, having won six karting and one single-seater championships on his way to F3.
Prior to the season-opener in Melbourne, Taponen had already one F3 weekend under his belt. In 2024, the Finnish driver joined ART GP—in place of a banned Nikola Tsolov—during the penultimate round at Spa-Franchorchamps. Currently P5 in the Driver Standings with 51 points to his name, we take a look at his performance in his rookie season so far.
A debut to forget
Melbourne was an underwhelming start to the season for Taponen. Especially after a strong and promising pre-season testing, the Finnish driver claimed the first round to be a “shocker”. Having qualified P25, the hopes of scoring any points would have been a tough ask. However, Taponen took away positives from the progress he made through the field. Managing to make up several places during both races, the Ferrari-backed driver finished the Sprint and Feature Race in P14 and P20 respectively.
Despite a struggle-filled start to 2025, it was not long before Taponen found his way to better results.
Bouncing back and finding success in Bahrain
With the in-season testing that took place in Bahrain several weeks prior, many drivers appeared to have benefitted from the extra time on track. As F3 returned to Bahrain, Taponen had a well-executed weekend. The Ferrari-backed driver managed to qualify P6; a stark contrast from his performance in Melbourne. The reverse-grid format meant the Finnish driver started P7 for the Sprint Race.
With a decent launch off the line, Taponen believed he was in a position to fight for the win during the Sprint Race. However, impressively fast debutant Freddie Slater—who joined the championship that round—forced the Finnish driver to remain behind Slater and Campos Racing’s Nikola Tsolov. Securing a solid P3 finish, the Ferrari-backed driver secured his maiden F3 podium. As focus shifted to the Feature Race, Taponen crossed the line on Sunday with a P4 finish—walking away from the weekend with a solid points haul for his championship.
Point-finishes and a podium with disastrous end to triple-header
Taponen and his fellow rookies would have felt a sense of relief as they returned to familiar tracks like Imola and Barcelona. However, it did mean they faced their first visit to the principality of Monaco. In Imola, the 18 year-old had a fairly straightforward weekend, qualifying P4. Although Taponen struggled to navigate his way to the podium, he still secured P7 in the Sprint and P4 in the Feature Race. Once again, adding to his points tally.
At the next round in Monaco, the 18 year-old managed to find some success. The Finnish driver managed to qualify in P9, lining him up on the second-row in P4 for the Sprint Race. After a slow launch off the line for MP Motorsport’s Alessandro Giusti, the Finnish driver catapulted into P2. Taponen would cross the line to secure his second podium finish of the year. Subsequently, the Ferrari-backed driver finished the Feature Race in P7—making up two places from where he started.
Headed to Barcelona, it was expected to be an extremely competitive round. At a track where its coarse nature challenges drivers unlike any other, the importance of tyre management can make-or-break their weekend. The fifth round in Barcelona marked a horrendous end to the first-half of the season for Taponen. After qualifying P9, the Finnish driver started the Sprint Race on the second-row in P4. Taponen struggled to get off the line, which led to Câmara driving into the back of him. On Sunday, the Feature Race didn’t go any better as he crossed the line in P19, dropping far back from his starting position.
What’s next for Taponen?
As Taponen and his colleagues reach the halfway mark of the 2025 F3 season, he still has plenty of opportunities to climb the Driver Standings. The 18 year-old has shown flashes of speed so far, and if he manages to stay out of trouble and drives consistently, Taponen can emerge in the second-half of the season a serious title contender. As F3 returns to racing next at Spielberg next week, the Finnish driver would hope to start and bounce back from the woes of Barcelona.
