Fast Finnish driver Tuukka Taponen will race for MP Motorsport in his second season in the highly competitive FIA Formula 3 Championship. The 18-year-old member of the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy has signed with the Dutch team for 2026 after a promising debut year in the category.
The highly praised Taponen has chosen MP following a strong first season in Formula 3, in which he secured ninth place in the overall standings. He made the podium as early as his third race of the championship, finishing third in Sakhir. That was followed by a second-place finish in Monaco and another third-place in Hungary. Taponen frequently qualified in the top ten and consistently finished in the points. At MP, which fields three cars, he will be joined by teammates Mattia Colnaghi and Alessandro Giusti.
“I’m very happy to be joining MP Motorsport for my second year in Formula 3,” said Taponen. “It’s great news to have my near future already confirmed this early. That means I have a productive winter ahead with the team and the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy, during which we’ll work together to prepare as best as possible for the 2026 season. MP is one of the leading teams in the championship—this year’s third place in the team standings says it all. I’m looking forward to being part of the MP family and contributing to their success.”
“We’re all very pleased to welcome Tuukka to our Formula 3 team for 2026,” said Sander Dorsman, team principal of MP Motorsport. “Since his move up from karting, Tuukka has made a rapid rise. Over the past two years, he has been one of our biggest rivals, so it’s great news to have him on our side in 2026. Alongside Mattia and Alessandro, Tuukka will be part of a strong F3 line-up at MP next year. All three are extremely talented drivers, each capable of competing at the front of the Formula 3 field.”
Taponen was a standout in karting, with the highlight being the CIK-FIA World Championship title in OK karts in 2021 and two silver medals in the World Championships of 2020 and 2022. In 2023, he made his debut in single-seaters and immediately joined the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy. In his first season, he finished second in the UAE F4 Winter Championship, followed by fifth place finishes in both the Italian F4 and Euro 4 series. After claiming the winter title in the Formula Regional Middle East, he went on to finish third in the 2024 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, scoring four wins, three pole positions, and two fastest laps. He then advanced directly to the FIA F3 Championship in 2025, which runs as a support series to Formula 1.