TUUKKA TAPONEN TO MOVE UP TO FORMULA 2 WITH ART GRAND PRIX IN 2027
Tuukka Taponen will move up to the FIA Formula 2 Championship in 2027 after signing with ART Grand Prix. The Finnish driver, who is part of the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy, will return to the French team after racing for them during his rookie Formula 3 season in 2025.
Taponen completed his second F3 season in 2026 with MP Motorsport and finished third in the Drivers’ Championship with 109 points. He scored his first F3 victory in the final race of the season in Madrid, where he led every lap of the Feature Race. He also took two pole positions and three podium finishes during the campaign.
The Finn’s 2026 season was also a strong comeback after a difficult start. Taponen entered the final round outside the top three in the championship but moved up to third after his Madrid victory, finishing ahead of Taito Kato and behind champion Ugo Ugochukwu and runner-up Freddie Slater.
Taponen first raced in F3 with ART Grand Prix in 2025, scoring three podiums and finishing ninth in the championship. Before reaching F3, he won the 2024 Formula Regional Middle East Championship and finished third in the European Formula Regional championship that same year.
The 2027 F2 season will also introduce a new version of the Formula 2 car alongside regulation changes. Taponen believes this could create a more equal starting point for the teams and give ART an opportunity to fight at the front from the beginning.
“I believe we have a good chance of fighting for the front positions right away,” Taponen said. He also highlighted his previous experience with ART and said the team’s knowledge of him will help as he makes the step into F2.
ART Grand Prix Team Principal Sébastien Philippe also welcomed Taponen back to the team, pointing to the relationship they built during his previous F3 campaign. ART had already taken two F2 pole positions in 2026 with Kush Maini, while Maini also scored the team’s only victory of the season in Barcelona.
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