Tuukka Taponen takes maiden F3 pole in Hungary

Written by Trisha Lynnette Nathan

Credit: Formula 3 via X

With 30 minutes set on the board, the drivers moved onto the sunny Hungaroring for a qualifying session that could go a long way to shaping the grid for both of this weekend's races. After a dramatic Belgian round left the drivers' championship separated by a single point, all eyes were on how Ugo Ugochukwu of Campos Racing and Freddie Slater of Trident would fare once the lights went green.

The drivers began by warming their tyres on track, working temperature into the rubber before committing to their first flying laps of the session. Yevan David and Fernando Barrichello of AIX Racing were the first to set a benchmark, giving the field an early target to beat as the rest of the grid prepared for their own runs.

It did not take long for the picture to change. Slater went purple in Sector 1, signalling strong early pace from the Trident driver, before Théophile Naël responded by going fastest through Sector 2. The Frenchman's lap was enough to take provisional pole, stopping the clock at 1:33.533, just 0.019s ahead of Tuukka Taponen of MP Motorsport in second.

After the first set of flying laps had been completed across the field, the picture at the top of the times read Naël in first, Taponen in second, with Jin Nakamura of Hitech, Gerrard Xie and Nicola Lacorte of Dams Racing rounding out the top five.

There was late drama for several drivers during this opening phase of the session. Matteo De Palo of Trident had his lap time deleted after running beyond track limits at Turn 4, denying him what would have been a useful early marker.

Credit: Formula 3 via X

Louis Sharp of PREMA Racing and Ugochukwu both suffered big lockups as they searched for the limit of the circuit, while Slater also saw his effort scrubbed, with his lap time deleted for a track limits infringement of his own.

As the session reached the 20-minute mark, the majority of the field returned to the pits to fit a fresh set of Medium tyres ahead of their final assault on the timesheets, with no fuel refill permitted for the remainder of the session. A handful of cars elected to stay out, completing their opening flying laps before eventually following the rest of the pack down the pit lane.

The field returned to the track at the 17-minute mark for the next phase of qualifying. It was Slater who emerged with the advantage, moving to the top of the times with a 1:33.451, while Lacorte slotted into second place, just 0.064s adrift of the TRIDENT driver.

Ten minutes remained on the clock, the drivers made their way back to the pit lane once more, preparing for what would be their final runs of the session. At that point, the order read Slater on provisional pole, ahead of Lacorte in second, Brando Badoer of Rodin Motorsport third, Naël fourth and Taponen fifth, setting the stage for a frantic finish to qualifying.

As the final runs got underway, Mattia Colnaghi of MP Motorsport moved up to the front row, taking third place, while Tuukka Taponen went fastest to claim provisional pole. Ugochukwu also improved on his final effort, climbing to sixth place, inside the points, keeping the championship battle alive in Hungary.

Credit: Formula 3 via X

Not everyone found the improvement they were looking for. Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi of Dams Racing went wide, missing out on a fast lap, while Taito Kato of ART Grand Prix had his final effort deleted for track limits at Turn 9.

The chequered flag was waved to end the session, and it was Taponen who came out on top, taking his first pole position in Formula 3. He will lead the grid for the feature race, followed by Slater and teammate Colnaghi on Sunday.

Be sure to tune in to each session live, and if you miss some of the action, return to DIVEBOMB or the official F3 channels for all the action from what is set to be another exciting instalment in the 2026 FIA Formula 3 Championship.