Written by Sean McKean
In the build-up to this weekend’s Formula 3 round in Spa-Francorchamps, ART Grand Prix announced that Tuukka Taponen would replace the banned Nikola Tsolov for the round.
The 17-year-old Finnish driver enjoyed a successful karting career, where he won the 2021 CIK-FIA Karting Championship. Furthermore, he appeared in the FDA Scouting Camp – securing a spot in the Ferrari Driver Academy in late-2022.
Taponen made his full-time single-seaters debut in F4 UAE in 2023 where he took two victories enroute to a runner-up finish in the standings. He also partook in Italian F4 and Euro 4 for the summer – finishing fifth in each championship.
He made the jump up to Formula Regional machinery earlier this year – starting in the Middle East and winning the championship there. Taponen also currently participates in the Formula Regional European Championship, where he sits second in the standings with four victories.
The Finnish driver makes the step up in place of Nikola Tsolov in the #25 ART Grand Prix car, the Bulgarian serving a ban for outside testing violations. Tsolov himself currently sits eighth in the standings with three victories.
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