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Tuukka Taponen left it until the last possible moment, but the MP Motorsport driver secured his first-ever Aramco Pole Position Award in a tightly contested Formula 3 qualifying session at the Hungaroring.
Taponen set a benchmark of 1:33.411 on his final lap, edging Freddie Slater by 0.042 seconds. His MP Motorsport teammate Mattia Colnaghi completed the top three, finishing 0.072s from pole. The result capped a late swing in a session that had repeatedly changed direction at the front.
For more on the Budapest weekend, including the full timetable and viewing information, see our Formula 3 Hungaroring Round 7 guide.
The opening phase featured different approaches to track position. PREMA Racing, ART Grand Prix, DAMS Lucas Oil and Hitech delayed sending their drivers out, while others began setting representative times earlier.
Théophile Nael initially led the way with a 1:33.533, placing Taponen just 0.019s behind. In the championship battle, Slater was seventh after the first runs, while Ugo Ugochukwu sat ninth following a substantial lock-up at Turn 1.
With 18 minutes remaining, the field returned on new Medium tyres. Slater then moved to the top with a 1:33.451, 0.064s clear of Nicola Lacorte, while Brando Badoer occupied third. Ugochukwu, however, had dropped to 12th, leaving him with ground to recover in the closing runs.
The final tyre change produced one more decisive sequence. Slater could not improve, but Colnaghi climbed to second, only 0.024s from the leading time. The TRIDENT driver appeared to have put himself in position for pole before Taponen found the final fraction of performance.
His 1:33.411 displaced Slater at the top by 0.040s, while Colnaghi settled for third. Lacorte took fourth ahead of Badoer, and Ugochukwu recovered to become the leading Campos Racing driver in sixth. His teammates Nael and Ernesto Rivera followed in seventh and eighth.
Jin Nakamura was ninth ahead of Gerrard Xie. ART Grand Prix’s Maciej Gladysz and Kanato Le completed the top 12.
Le will start Saturday’s Sprint Race from reverse-grid pole. Lights out at the Hungaroring is scheduled for 10:05 local time.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.