Tuukka Taponen Explained

Tuukka Taponen
Nationality: Finnish
Birth Date:26 October 2006
Birth Place:Lohja, Finland
Current Series:Formula Regional European Championship
First Year:2024
Current Team:R-ace GP
Car Number:8
Starts:12 (12 entries)
Wins:4
Podiums:5
Poles:3
Fastest Laps:2
Best Finish:TBD
Year:2024
Prev Series:FR Middle East Championship
Euro 4 Championship
Italian F4 Championship
Formula 4 UAE Championship
Formula Academy Finland
Prev Series Years:2024
2023
2023
2023
2021–2022
Titles:FR Middle East Championship
Title Years:2024

Tuukka Taponen (born 26 October 2006) is a Finnish racing driver who is currently competing in the 2024 Formula Regional European Championship with R-ace GP.[1] He finished runner up in the 2023 F4 UAE Championship, and is a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy.[2]

Career

Karting

Taponen started karting at the age of two, when his father Marko was a racer of jokkis or folkrace, a Finnish form of low-cost rallycross. As a boy, he watched videos of his father racing jokkis, and other motorsport.[3]

In 2017, he made his competitive karting debut in the native Finland, in the Finnish Junior Championship, in the Raket Class, which he won. He came third in the Finnish Championship OK Junior class the following year, and won the championship in 2019.[4] [5]

Taponen made his CIK debut in the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy and came thirteenth in his class. He also joined Kohtala Sports for the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in the Junior class, and came seventeenth.

He joined Kohtala Sports for the 2019 CIK-FIA European Championship and the 2019 CIK-FIA World Championship in the OKJ classes, and finished fourth and thirty-third in them.

In 2020, Tuukka joined the Tony Kart team in the OK Junior category, and finished third in the CIK-FIA European Championship and runner-up in the CIK-FIA World Championship.[6] He made his OK debut in 2021, and in his first weekend in the class, he won the 2021 CIK-FIA World Championship at Campillos. Taponen also won the WSK Open Cup in the same year as well, and at the end of the year he took part in the FDA Scouting World Finals but didn't win, and was instead put under special observation by Ferrari.[7] [8]

Taponen had a second appearance in the FDA Scouting World Finals in 2022, which secured his place at the Ferrari Driver Academy.[9] [10]

Formula 4

Formula Academy Finland

Taponen made his Single-seater debut in the 2021 Formula Academy Finland for Koiranen Kemppi Motorsport, in a part time campaign, he took a double win at the debut in the Kymi Ring, and in 2022 he did another part time campaign and came sixth in the championship, remaining unbeaten in all the races he competed in.[11] [12] [13]

Formula 4 UAE Championship

He made his first full time Single-seater debut in the 2023 Formula 4 UAE Championship for Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited.[14] At his first race weekend in the Dubai Autodrome, Taponen got his first podium in the series in his second race, he also achieved another podium in the following race.

The second round in the Kuwait Motor Town only resulted in one third place which came in the second race, as he retired from the third race, but the next round in Kuwait Motor Town, was where he get his first win of the season in the second race.[15] Taponen collected his two maiden poles in the fourth round in Dubai Autodrome, and also got a clean sweep of wins in all three races.[16]

In the final round of the championship in the Yas Marina Circuit, he collected two final second-place finishes, but retired from the final race, as he finished second in the championship with 212 points, 4 wins and 2 pole positions. Although he didn't win the championship title, he won the rookie title instead.[17]

Italian F4 Championship

For his full time Formula 4 campaign, he competed in the 2023 Italian F4 Championship for Prema Racing.[18]

His debut round in the Italian F4 Championship proved to be underwhelming compared to his peers, he struggled to find his footing and ended the first round at Imola with only four points, two ninth-place finishes in the first two races, at the last race he was running in twelfth, but was hit behind the safety car and retired from the damage.[19] [20]

Misano was a much better improvement for the Finn, as he took his maiden pole position and was untouchable in the first race as he took his maiden win, and took and fourth and fifth-place finish in the next two races, bagging 47 points and propelling him to 5th place in the drivers' standings.[21] The third race is Spa-Francorchamps was a decrease in form, as Taponen only managed two seventh-place finishes in the first and third race. Monza was highlighted by a lone podium in the first race, as he retired from the second race after a tangle with Alfio Spina.[22]

At Paul Ricard he finished fifth in the first race, and climbed his way up to second place in the next race, he rounded off the final race with a third place.[23] [24]

At Mugello, Taponen and fellow Prema Racing drivers struggled with pace, as in the first race Taponen was thought to have jumped the start, but had actually stalled on the grid and dropped to thirteenth. He recovered to ninth but after receiving a 10-second penalty, he dropped out of the points and into fifteenth place. In the next two races he scored consistent top-five finishes, but didn't finish on the podium.[25] [26] The final round at Vallelunga was highlighted by a string of podiums, as he finished the season in 5th position with 196 points.

Taponen also contested the inaugural season of the Euro 4 Championship for Prema Racing.[27] [28] He was consistent with points, and got his maiden podiums at the final round in Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, he finished the championship in 5th with 102 points.

Formula Regional

Formula Regional Middle East Championship

Taponen would make his racing debut in Formula Regional machinery in the Formula Regional Middle East Championship for R-ace GP, partnering Jesse Carrasquedo Jr. and Zachary David, in which he would earn 255 points in a title battle with FIA Formula 2 driver Taylor Barnard, and fellow Ferrari Driver Academy junior and Formula Regional European Championship driver Rafael Câmara. He would win the championship in race 1 of the fourth and final round, after winning. His teammates Jesse Carrasquedo Jr. and Zachary David would earn 0 and 112 points respectively, finishing 24th and 4th, with the latter being 143 points behind Taponen. He would win the rookie cup earning 315 points, 137 more than Formula Regional European Championship driver Ugo Ugochukwu and 143 more than Formula Regional European Championship driver James Wharton. He would also help his team R-ace GP to the team's championship trophy, the team collecting 312 points with the help of his teammates.

Formula Regional European Championship

Alongside his 2024 Formula Regional Middle East Championship campaign, Taponen will tackle the 2024 Formula Regional European Championship for his full-time campaign driving for R-ace GP, alongside Enzo Deligny and Zachary David.[1]

FIA Formula 3 Championship

Taponen would make his FIA Formula 3 debut with ART Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.[29]

Karting record

Karting career summary

SeasonSeriesTeamPosition
2017Finnish Junior Championship — Raket1st
2018Finnish Championship — OKJ3rd
CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy13th
Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals — JuniorKohtala Sports17th
2019Estonian championship — OKJHemet Racing 8th
Finnish Championship — OKJKohtala Sports1st
WSK Super Master SeriesOKJ23rd
CIK-FIA European ChampionshipOKJ4th
CIK-FIA World ChampionshipOKJ33rd
WSK Final CupOKJ18th
2020Finnish Championship — OKJKohtala Sports1st
WSK Super Master SeriesOKJ13th
WSK Euro SeriesOKJ5th
CIK-FIA European ChampionshipOKJTony Kart Racing Team3rd
CIK-FIA World ChampionshipOKJ2nd
WSK Open Cup — OK4th
2021Finnish Championship — OKKohtala Sports1st
WSK Champions CupOKTony Kart Racing Team4th
WSK Super Master SeriesOK4th
WSK Euro SeriesOK6th
CIK-FIA European ChampionshipOK9th
CIK-FIA World ChampionshipOK1st
Champions of the Future — OK4th
WSK Open Cup — OK1st
2022WSK Super Master SeriesOKTony Kart Racing Team4th
WSK Euro SeriesOK3rd
Champions of the Future - Winter Series — OK4th
Champions of the Future - Euro Series — OK12th
CIK-FIA European ChampionshipOK11th
CIK-FIA World ChampionshipOK2nd
CIK-FIA World ChampionshipKZ9th

Racing record

Racing career summary

SeasonSeriesTeamRacesWinsPolesF/LapsPodiumsPointsPosition
2021Formula Academy FinlandKoiranen Kemppi Motorsport22?????
2022Formula Academy FinlandKoiranen Kemppi Motorsport552451256th
2023Formula 4 UAE ChampionshipMumbai Falcons Racing Limited15422102122nd
Italian F4 Championship2111071965th
align=left Euro 4 Championship900021025th
2024Formula Regional Middle East ChampionshipR-ace GP1555792551st
Formula Regional European Championship83224113*2nd*
FIA Formula 3 ChampionshipART Grand Prix200000*31st*

* Season still in progress.

Complete Formula 4 UAE Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete Italian F4 Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete Euro 4 Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete Formula Regional Middle East Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete Formula Regional European Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete FIA Formula 3 Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

References

  1. Web site: Wood . Ida . 7 December 2023 . Ferrari junior Tuukka Taponen steps up to FRegional with R-ace GP . 7 December 2023 . Formula Scout . en-US.
  2. Web site: HOME . 2023-08-30 . Tuukkataponen . en.
  3. Web site: Scout Report: Tuukka Taponen . 13 September 2023 .
  4. Web site: Ferrari Driver Academy Driver - Tuukka Taponen .
  5. Web site: Wood . Ida . 2020-12-26 . The top karting stars of 2020 . 2023-08-30 . Formula Scout . en-US.
  6. Web site: Wood . Ida . 2021-06-28 . Mercedes junior Antonelli part of Ferrari Driver Academy scouting camp . 2023-08-30 . Formula Scout . en-US.
  7. Web site: Gascoigne . Roger . 2021-11-08 . Bearman and Camara signed by Ferrari Driver Academy for 2022 . 2023-08-30 . Formula Scout . en-US.
  8. Web site: Wood . Ida . 2021-12-26 . The top karting stars of 2021 . 2023-08-30 . Formula Scout . en-US.
  9. Web site: Wood . Ida . 2022-10-18 . Four F4 racers and two karters selected for Ferrari's World Scouting Final . 2023-08-30 . Formula Scout . en-US.
  10. Web site: Wood . Ida . 2022-11-15 . Finnish F4 star Tuukka Taponen joins the Ferrari Driver Academy . 2023-08-30 . Formula Scout . en-US.
  11. Web site: Wood . Ida . 2022-06-12 . World Karting champion Tuukka Taponen takes triple win on F4 return . 2023-08-30 . Formula Scout . en-US.
  12. Web site: Wood . Ida . 2023-01-01 . The Formula 4 title battles you might have missed in 2022 . 2023-08-30 . Formula Scout . en-US.
  13. Web site: Wood . Ida . 2023-04-17 . Who to look out for in Italian Formula 4's 10th season . 2023-08-30 . Formula Scout . en-US.
  14. Web site: Red Bull's Lindblad leads cluster of new entries for F4 UAE . 29 December 2022 .
  15. Web site: Taponen takes his first F4 UAE win in Kuwait race two . February 2023 .
  16. Web site: Taponen earns clean sweep of F4 wins at Dubai . 12 February 2023 .
  17. Web site: Wharton wins title in dramatic finale: 4 takeaways from F4 UAE Round 5 . 20 February 2023 .
  18. Web site: Wood . Ida . 2022-12-19 . New Ferrari junior Tuukka Taponen joins Prema for Italian F4 . 2023-08-30 . Formula Scout . en-US.
  19. Web site: Italian F4 notes from Imola: Lindblad on top after a spectacular weekend . 4 May 2023 .
  20. Web site: Red Bull junior Lindblad takes Italian F4 lead with victory in Imola final . 23 April 2023 .
  21. Web site: Italian F4 notes from Misano: Can anyone match Arvid Lindblad? . 25 May 2023 .
  22. Web site: Lindblad holds off Sztuka for second straight Italian F4 win at Monza . 25 June 2023 .
  23. Web site: Sztuka doubles up at Paul Ricard with Italian F4 race two win . 23 July 2023 .
  24. Web site: Last lap fuel drama for Wharton hands Sztuka Italian F4 hat-trick . 23 July 2023 .
  25. Web site: Prema's Italian F4 drivers admit to pace struggle at Mugello . 2 October 2023 .
  26. Web site: Sztuka gets his fourth Italian F4 win in a row to close in on Lindblad . 30 September 2023 .
  27. Web site: 2023-05-15 . New Euro 4 championship to complement Italian Formula 4 season . 2023-11-13 . RACEWEEK . en-US.
  28. Web site: 2023-07-06 . R01 Mugello - Euro4 Championship Race Preview . 2023-11-13 . Prema Racing . en.
  29. Web site: Gascoigne. Roger. 25 July 2024. Taponen to make F3 debut at Spa as ART GP’s Tsolov stand-in. 26 July 2024. Formula Scout. en-GB.