Formula Academy Finland

Taponen made his Single-seater debut in the 2021 Formula Academy Finland for Koiranen Kemppi Motorsport, in a part time campaign, he took a double win at the debut in the Kymi Ring, and in 2022 he did another part time campaign and came sixth in the championship, remaining unbeaten in all the races he competed in.^[11][12][13]

Formula 4 UAE Championship

He made his first full time Single-seater debut in the 2023 Formula 4 UAE Championship for Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited.^[14] At his first race weekend in the Dubai Autodrome, Taponen got his first podium in the series in his second race, he also achieved another podium in the following race.

The second round in the Kuwait Motor Town only resulted in one third place which came in the second race, as he retired from the third race, but the next round in Kuwait Motor Town, was where he get his first win of the season in the second race.^[15] Taponen collected his two maiden poles in the fourth round in Dubai Autodrome, and also got a clean sweep of wins in all three races.^[16]

In the final round of the championship in the Yas Marina Circuit, he collected two final second-place finishes, but retired from the final race, as he finished second in the championship with 212 points, 4 wins and 2 pole positions. Although he didn't win the championship title, he won the rookie title instead.^[17]

Italian F4 Championship

For his full time Formula 4 campaign, he competed in the 2023 Italian F4 Championship for Prema Racing.^[18]

His debut round in the Italian F4 Championship proved to be underwhelming compared to his peers, he struggled to find his footing and ended the first round at Imola with only four points, two ninth-place finishes in the first two races, at the last race he was running in twelfth, but was hit behind the safety car and retired from the damage.^[19][20]

Misano was a much better improvement for the Finn, as he took his maiden pole position and was untouchable in the first race as he took his maiden win, and took and fourth and fifth-place finish in the next two races, bagging 47 points and propelling him to 5th place in the drivers' standings.^[21] The third race is Spa-Francorchamps was a decrease in form, as Taponen only managed two seventh-place finishes in the first and third race. Monza was highlighted by a lone podium in the first race, as he retired from the second race after a tangle with Alfio Spina.^[22]

At Paul Ricard he finished fifth in the first race, and climbed his way up to second place in the next race, he rounded off the final race with a third place.^[23][24]

At Mugello, Taponen and fellow Prema Racing drivers struggled with pace, as in the first race Taponen was thought to have jumped the start, but had actually stalled on the grid and dropped to thirteenth. He recovered to ninth but after receiving a 10-second penalty, he dropped out of the points and into fifteenth place. The next two races was were he scored consistent top-five finishes, but didn't finish on the podium.^[25][26] The final round at Vallelunga was highlighted by a string of podiums, as he finished the season in 5th position with 196 points.

Taponen also contested the inaugural season of the Euro 4 Championship for Prema Racing.^[27][28] He was consistent with points, and got his maiden podiums at the final round in Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, he finished the championship in 5th with 102 points.

Formula Regional Middle East Championship

Taponen would make his racing debut in Formula Regional machinery in the Formula Regional Middle East Championship for R-ace GP, partnering Jesse Carrasquedo Jr. and Zachary David, in which he would earn 255 points in a title battle with FIA Formula 2 driver Taylor Barnard, and fellow Ferrari Driver Academy junior and Formula Regional European Championship driver Rafael Câmara. He would win the championship in race 1 of the fourth and final round, after winning. His teammates Jesse Carrasquedo Jr. and Zachary David would earn 0 and 112 points respectively, finishing 24th and 4th, with the latter being 143 points behind Taponen. He would win the rookie cup earning 315 points, 137 more than Formula Regional European Championship driver Ugo Ugochukwu and 143 more than Formula Regional European Championship driver James Wharton. He would also help his team R-ace GP to the team's championship trophy, the team collecting 312 points with the help of his teammates.

Formula Regional European Championship

Alongside his 2024 Formula Regional Middle East Championship campaign, Taponen will tackle the 2024 Formula Regional European Championship for his full-time campaign driving for R-ace GP.^[1]