Tuukka Taponen reunites with ART for 2027 Formula 2 season
Finnish driver Tuukka Taponen will be stepping up to Formula 2 in 2027, as he reunites with ART Grand Prix for his maiden season in the championship. Taponen, a Ferrari junior, finished third in the recently-concluded Formula 3 season for MP Motorsport.
The Finn becomes the first driver to be announced at ART for 2027. He will be joining F3 runner-up Freddie Slater on next year's grid, with the Briton already confirmed at Invicta for the upcoming season, as well as James Wharton, confirmed at Trident's 2027 line-up.
Taponen was delighted to return to ART's setup for the upcoming year of racing, believing he was on course to start 2027 from the front foot. "“I believe we have a good chance of fighting for the front positions right away. ART is a team I know well, and I know how they work."
With F2's 2027 campaign set to feature a new reprofiled car, Taponen highlighted this development as one that presents opportunities for rookies to perform, given that the entire grid starts from scratch once again. "F2 will introduce a new car version next season, along with regulation changes, which will level the playing field for all teams," he expressed.
More importantly, though, Taponen's belief in excelling across 2027 comes from his return to ART Grand Prix. The Finnish driver raced for ART in his first F3 campaign, scoring three podiums and finishing ninth in the standings in 2025.
He also stood in for them at Spa in 2024, when Nikola Tsolov was suspended from competing at the race weekend, having competed in Eurocup-3's event at Spa without prior approval from the FIA.
"It's also great to return to a team that already knows me and wanted me back. I'm confident I'll get the support I need from the team to take this next step and pursue my goal of reaching Formula 1,” Taponen said, looking ahead to following in the footsteps and become the next Finn to join F1.
ART Grand Prix's team principal Sebastian Philippe was just as delighted to welcome Taponen back to the fold for 2027. "I’m very happy to have Tuukka (Taponen) back in the team! We are already a step ahead, having built a solid foundation and a strong relationship together in the past."
"This allows us to focus fully, from the outset, on his performance and the development of the car,” Philippe expressed, on signing the team's first driver for 2027.
ART Grand Prix have been on a resurgent run in 2026. Sitting sixth in the standings, the pairing of Kush Maini and Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak have both scored podium finishes in the season. Maini took the team's only victory in Barcelona, and the team's two pole positions in Miami and Hungary.
Taponen comes into F2 with plenty of momentum from his end to F3 at Madrid. Starting the weekend ninth in the standings, the Finn scored a point in the sprint race, finishing 10th. He then converted a strong starting position into a podium in the first Feature Race of the weekend.
Having started the final race of the season from pole, Taponen faced no challenge from behind, converting his start into his maiden F3 win. This elevated him to third in the standings.
The move to F2 comes as widely celebrated, with many delighted that the Finn will be moving forward and advancing his racing career and his F1 dream. Taponen had remained vocal about his struggles to secure funding for a seat in F2 for the upcoming season.
"There is no contract for next season. We haven't been able to sign anything because there is no money," he had revealed, in an interview to Finnish publication Italehti after F3's Madrid weekend.
Taponen received the €200,000 prize money given out to F3's third-place finisher, with the condition being to advance to F2 the following year. Yet, he highlighted the difficulty in securing a seat for the coming season, with fewer seats available as drivers alongside were looking to secure their futures.
The move to ART comes as a refreshing piece of news for Taponen's future, as he can now focus on preparing for another defining year of racing ahead, in a familiar environment.
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