Finnish 16-year-old racer joins the team for his car racing debut
PREMA announces that Tuukka Taponen will join the team to make his single-seater debut in 2023. The 16-year-old Finnish driver recently won the Ferrari Driver Academy Scouting World Finals and joined the FDA development programme.
Taponen had an extremely successful karting career. After winning the Finnish championship multiple times, he achieved outstanding success internationally. In 2020, he finished third in the FIA Karting European Championship finals and second in the World Championship at Portimao. In 2021, he backed up his status with the OK-class FIA World Championship title and also claimed the WSK Open Cup.
Having laid solid foundations for the new year in his early testing opportunities, Taponen will primarily compete in the Italian Formula 4 Championship, while more additions to his schedule will be announced soon.
Angelo Rosin - Team Principal
"Tuukka achieved outstanding results in karting and was impressive in his first testing outings. I think he's a great addition to a team that is shaping up quite well. We will rely on many talented and hard-working racers, and we are looking forward to honing their skills as they progress in their quest to become high-profile motorsport professionals."
Tuukka Taponen
"I'm very happy to join PREMA and start the first single-seater season of my career. I had only heard positive things about the team, and they have achieved so many great results in the past. I felt very comfortable since my first test, and while it wasn't easy to move up from karting, the team was very professional in helping me to adapt myself to the Formula 4 car. I'm looking forward to 2023."