Formula 3: Tuukka Taponen charges from eighth to second at Monza

Tuukka Taponen produced the best performance of his Formula 3 career at Monza, climbing from eighth on the grid to finish second on Sunday.

The 19-year-old Finn did not benefit from a string of crashes or retirements. Instead, he steadily passed cars ahead of him during the first half of the race. He battled championship leader Freddie Slater for fourth before setting his sights on Taito Kato and Kanato Len.

Taponen made his decisive move at the start of the 11th lap on the main straight. He used Kato’s slipstream and passed both Kato and Len in a daring move at the end of the straight. No driver behind him seriously threatened his position afterward.

A safety car slowed the race late on, but once the action resumed, Taponen controlled the run to second. He could not catch Italian winner Nicola Lacorte, who finished 0.7 seconds ahead.

The result came after a difficult Saturday sprint. Taponen had started third but dropped to the back after other cars collided. He now has 64 championship points and ranks ninth, while Slater leads on 141.