Tuukka Taponen, who won the hard-level formula series, loaded the hard screens with his potential. A Finn can celebrate no less than two championships this year, writes Urheilu’s Joel Sippola.
Joel Sippola sports reporter
The Finn dominated the international formula series. A phrase that, before this day, has not been found in ages.
Now, however, there is a different voice in the clock, because Finland Tuukka Taponen won the championship of the Middle East series of the Formula Regional class in a show of style. The 17-year-old super talent has dazzled during the tight series, especially in terms of his amazing performance level.
Taponen took important victories, grabbed several podium places, and obvious mistakes were conspicuous by their absence.
Taponen’s championship was secured on Saturday, in the first start of the last race weekend of the series. Taponen, driving the R-Ace GP team’s car, drove from the pole position to an overwhelming victory. The biggest threat, the English driver from PHM AIX Racing Taylor Barnard came eighth.
The point difference between Taponen (220) and Barnard (149) has already increased to 71 points. The last two races of the series will be run on Sunday. Taponen already secured the rookie drivers’ championship the previous weekend.
The 2021 karting world champion and three-time World Cup medalist in the sport has now finally proven why the famous Ferrari wanted him in their junior academy a little over a year ago.
Read more: Being part of Ferrari’s junior academy offers Tuukka Tapose great opportunities
The Middle East Formula Regional is a high-level series, which also includes a lot of drivers from a class above, from F3. The special feature of Taponen’s championship is that he overshadowed a lot of drivers who are driving this year in F3 instead of the Regional European series that starts in the spring.
Norwegian Martinius Stenshorne was the second of the talked about super promise, Italy, in the high-level European series last summer Kimi Antonelli after. Although Stenshorne now drove three out of five weekends, he had to prove the superiority of his Finnish teammate in these races.
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The badge of a future F1 driver
The most important yardsticks for Tapos have been his fiercest rivals last season, Britain’s Arvid Lindbladof the USA Ugo Ugochukwu as well as Australia James Wharton. All three were successful opponents in the Middle East series compared to the Finn.
Among them, Red Bull’s 16-year-old top talent Lindblad will already drive in F3 next season and can fight for the championship of the series with the top team Prema. Briton Taylor Barnard, who finished second in the series after Taponen, is driving the Formula Ones this year in the closest F2 series.
Taponen gave Ferrari and other F1 organizations a strong storm warning about his potential.
For his level, Taponen could already drive brilliantly in F3, but the Finn’s formula is being built in a sensible way.
In the last ten years, Finland has seen several formula promises aiming for Formula 1, whose career path has been marked by a constant sense of urgency and correction. They have jumped to the next class, even though the success in that previous class has been very modest.
On the other hand, none of them have anywhere near Taponen’s talent. Together with his background team, he makes thoughtful choices that serve a possible F1 career. We want to be as successful as possible in one series, so that we can also run for the championship in a competitive team in the next series.
Two championships
However, the hardest test for Tapos this year is in the European Regional series, which is a more prestigious and important place. The conditions for top success are there, as R-Ace GP, represented by Finland, is investing more in that European series. Last year, the team’s drivers took 2nd to 3rd place in the series.
In the European series, Taponen’s main opponents are actually only Prema drivers Rafael Camara, Ugochukwu and Wharton, which he already met in the Middle East. The Finn will therefore start the series as a big favorite for the championship, which is a new but valuable challenge for him in his formula career.
Small formulas use a constant race for the future. The best possible success also in the European Regional series would open the doors to the top teams of the F3 series next year and through that, immediately to the championship fight in that class.
Mercedes’ mega-promise Kimi Antonelli won both Formula Regional championships last year and is ready for next year’s Formula One Lewis Hamilton to the left Mercedes place.
We can’t talk about a similar rapid career leap for Taponen yet, but after two championships, I think the bargaining chips would be the best for a continuation. The Finn is clearly on the path of a future F1 driver.