The ladder of categories up to Formula 1 is becoming increasingly expensive and the route to the highest level is very unforgiving.
Finland have had a lot of successful drivers over the years, with Mika Hakkinen and Keke Rosberg both winning championships in F1.
Hakkinen has been helping younger talent in recent years, including Indian driver Kush Maini, who raced in Formula 2 this season.
Valtteri Bottas has also been successful in recent years after winning 10 Grands Prix, although the Finn’s F1 career may be coming to an end.
Hakkinen explained to the Socrates Dergi YouTube channel that there is one young Finnish driver in particular who may have the talent to race in Formula 1.
Mika Hakkinen backs Tuukka Taponen as Finland’s next hope for a Formula 1 driver
Tuukka Taponen has been very successful in his junior career so far, winning the Formula Regional Middle East Championship this year.
The Finnish driver’s good form continued when he returned to Europe, finishing third in FRECA by taking four wins for R-ace GP.
Taponen will move up to FIA F3 next season, switching to ART Grand Prix as he makes a significant step up to consistently race on F1 race weekends.
Hakkinen expects good performances from the 17-year-old as Taponen progresses up the ladder after racing in FRECA.
He said: “Tuukka Taponen, obviously, he is in regional going to Formula 3 now. He’s a young Finnish talented driver, working very hard to able to get through his personality [and] his talent for people’s and team’s knowledge. He’s moving in the right direction.”
Tuukka Taponen needs to consistently deliver results to race in Formula 1
Taponen has performed admirably so far in his career, dealing with the FRECA car that is notoriously heavy and difficult to drive.
It is difficult for a rookie to thrive on debut in Formula 3, but Taponen can take confidence from Arvid Lindblad exceeding expectations in his rookie FIA F3 season.
The Finnish driver needs to keep up his momentum and adjust to the challenging Pirelli tyres in FIA F3, which can be difficult to manage.
Formula 3 also has much more chaotic racing than other championships further down the ladder as the margins are so fine.
Taponen will need to hit the ground running in practice sessions next season, to learn the circuits and not lose valuable track time making errors.