ART Grand Prix’s Tuukka Taponen is far from satisfied with his mixed 2025 F3 season so far. While there have been a few highlights – including Sprint Race podiums in Sakhir and Monte Carlo – the 18-year-old currently sits 9th in the championship standings.
A mixed 2025 campaign
Reflecting on his campaign so far, Taponen admitted: “So far, it’s been alright, it could be better.” However, despite the challenges, the Finn expressed a level of satisfaction with his performance: “But I feel like I have done quite a good job, and I am happy with the things that I have been doing so far”.
Looking ahead, he remains optimistic about turning things around in the latter half of the season.
“So far the results could have been a little bit better, but if I keep doing the same things, they will be really good at the end of the season.”
Long-run pace a recurring issue
A key limitation this season has been ART Grand Prix’s struggles in long-run pace. Taponen has been affected by the same issue repeatedly: high tyre degradation. For Taponen, this has often meant dropping down the order after promising starts, especially when rivals with more balanced setups maintained stronger race pace. The issue proved costly in both the Sakhir and Imola Feature Races. “It was a bit similar in Bahrain and in Imola, I could not really stay with the others.”
Nonetheless, he highlighted recent improvements in qualifying performance, saying, “But we have improved it, as well as the qualifying performances. In Barcelona, we were quite fast in the qualifying.“
“Maybe we haven’t shown our full potential in qualifying, but we have been improving. We are not aiming to do a mega step, instead we want little steps, because if we try to go from zero to hero, it can wrong quite quickly.”
Self-reflection
In addition to team challenges, Taponen acknowledged his own need to adapt more quickly during race weekends. For a rookie like Taponen, adapting within just a handful of laps is critical – slow adaptation can mean missing a setup window or qualifying poorly, which compromises the entire weekend. With limited practice time, being sharp from the start is essential.
“The amount of practice time we have, the number of laps we get is really limited. So that’s where I have had to improve, to be on it straight away, to not take five or six laps to be there, but to be there on the second lap.”
Nevertheless, he remains determined to work hard and reach the top step of the podium. He said, “All you have to do before that is prepare well for the weekend and know exactly what you have to do. That’s the biggest thing I’ve learned since stepping up. But even with that, we are definitely missing that last step, and we need to get there. I want to get there because it’s important for the future to get those Sunday podiums, even wins. It would obviously be nice for all of us to get a win, so we definitely need to find something as a team, even myself. I’m not saying I am doing a more than brilliant job, so we need to find this last little bit.“
He added, “Qualifying at the front will be important to fight for those front positions on Sunday. If you qualify P10 and P9 you are up there in the Sprint, but not in the Feature.”
Karting roots
Those karting years also helped build Taponen’s mental resilience. Competing – and winning – against some of the world’s best young talents gave him the confidence that he belonged at the top level. But with high expectations comes pressure, and his current P9 standing is a stark contrast to the near-flawless results he once enjoyed.
Yet, looking back on his karting achievements, Taponen proudly recalled his consistency at the top level.
“Being in the top three three years in a row at the World Championships in karting is not easy. Finishing second, first, second is a result not many can do, and I can be proud of that.”
Currently 9th in the standings, Taponen finds himself in an unfamiliar position. Throughout his career, he has consistently finished in the top five of every championship he has entered.
“I have been up there every season, in every Championship, my lowest result in a championship is fifth, my highest is first. I kind of kept the same momentum from karting, doing good results.”
“Obviously, the goal is to win every championship but that’s super difficult to do, I don’t know if anyone has been able to do that. It’s not easy, but I think if you look at the overall picture of my career, karting and formula, it’s quite good.”
“Winning Championships would help me a bit more, to be more in the picture or in the big paddock but I am doing the best I can every time.”
Hungry for the win
While his season has had its bright spots, Taponen remains focused on achieving more. Settling for 9th in his first F3 season is not an option. As part of the Ferrari Driver Academy, Taponen knows that strong results in F3 can make or break a junior driver’s trajectory. With only a few rounds left, securing a Feature Race win could prove decisive in retaining academy support or even earning a future F2 seat – making the stakes higher than ever.
“I want to show what I am capable off. I want to win a Feature Race, that’s the main target, or at least get to the podium. It’s really important to be there now, and everything will be down to the preparation for the weekend.
“Qualifying at the front will be important for that. I have been up there, twice I’ve been fourth, but I am not happy with that. Sometimes you need to accept that everyone cannot get up there, but we have a chance right now and we need to use it.”
With the second half of the F3 season nearly underway, ART Grand Prix’s Tuukka Taponen remains focused, hungry, and determined – not just to finish strong, but to prove he belongs at the very top of the motorsport ladder.
