Rapid young Finn Tuukka Taponen will race with MP Motorsport for his second season in the ultra-competitive FIA Formula 3 Championship. The 18-year-old Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy member joins the Dutch squad for 2026 following a highly promising first year in the category.
The highly touted Taponen has decided to join MP on the back of a strong debut season in Formula 3 that netted him ninth place in the final standings. The Finn was on the podium as early as his third race in the championship, before following up his third place at Sakhir with second at Monaco and another third at the Hungaroring, having been a frequent top-ten qualifier and points scorer along the way. Taponen will have Mattia Colnaghi and Alessandro Giusti as his teammates in MP’s three-car line-up.
“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 Scuderia 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.”
“At MP Motorsport, we are all happy to welcome Tuukka into our Formula 3 squad for 2026”, said Sander Dorsman, MP Motorsport’s team principal. “Ever since his promotion from karts, Tuukka’s quick rise through the ranks has been remarkable. 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.”
Having been a frontrunner in karts, highlighted by claiming the 2021 CIK-FIA World Karting Championship for OK karts while also grabbing silver medals in 2020 and 2022, Taponen made his single-seater debut in 2023 while immediately becoming a member of the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy. In his first season, Taponen followed up second place in the 2023 UAE F4 Championship with finishing fifth in both the Italian F4 and Euro 4 series. After lifting the Formula Regional Middle East title in the winter of 2024, he went on to claim third in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine with four wins, three pole positions and two fastest laps before being fast-tracked to the Grand Prix-supporting FIA F3 Championship in 2025.
