F3: Taponen Takes Pole Position at Hungaroring

July 24, 2026

Tuukka Taponen clinched pole position for the seventh round of the 2026 Formula 3 season. In qualifying held this Friday (23) at the Hungaroring circuit in Hungary, the MP Motorsport driver clocked 1:33.947 to take the top spot for Sunday’s race.

The second position went to Freddie Slater, a Trident driver who was edged by 0.040 seconds by Taponen. Mattia Colnaghi, driving for Van Amersfoort, finished third and will line up on the second row alongside Nicola Lacorte, fourth with DAMS. Brando Badoer, from Rodin Motorsport, starts fifth, while Ugo Ugochukwu, the championship leader and Campos Racing driver, will line up sixth.

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Theophile Nael, driving for Campos Racing, will start seventh on Sunday, sharing the fourth row with his teammate Ernesto Rivera. Jin Nakamura, from Hitech, will line up ninth, just ahead of Gerrard Xie, tenth for DAMS. Maciej Gladysz and Kanato Le, both from ART Grand Prix, complete the top 12. Le will start from pole in the Sprint.

The two Brazilian drivers on the grid will have to stage comebacks in the races. Fer

Jake Thompson

I'm Jake Thompson, a motorsport journalist born and raised in North Carolina, where NASCAR weekends were basically family holidays. I’ve been covering everything from Formula 1 to rally raids for over a decade, blending sharp analysis with a fan’s heart. For me, writing about racing isn’t just a job — it’s the best seat in the house.