Konsta Lappalainen

Konsta Lappalainen (born 11 August 2001) is a Finnish racing driver who currently competes in the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup for Emil Frey Racing.[1][2]

Konsta Lappalainen
NationalityFinland Finland
Born (2001-08-11) 11 August 2001
Espoo, Finland
GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup career
Debut season2021
Current teamEmil Frey Racing
Car number14
Starts18 (18 entries)
Wins0
Podiums1
Poles0
Fastest laps0
Best finish15th in 2021
Previous series
2021-22
2019-21
2018
2017-18
2017		GTWC Europe Endurance Cup
FR European Championship
ADAC Formula 4
SMP F4 Championship
F4 Spanish Championship

He is the 2018 SMP F4 champion and an ADAC GT Masters race winner.

Early career

Karting

Born and raised in Espoo, Lappalainen started his karting career in 2012. His best result was winning the Finnish Karting Championship in the OK class in 2016.

Lower formulae

In 2016 Lappalainen made his single-seater racing debut with part-time appearances in the F4 Spanish Championship. He finished all races in the top ten, however due to him being a guest driver Lappalainen didn't score any points.[3]

The next year the Finn continued racing in Spain, whilst also driving in SMP F4. He struggled in both series however, finishing 15th and 13th in the respective championships.

In 2018, Lappalainen continued in the SMP F4 Championship. He won seven races and scored 15 podiums, winning the championship 41 points ahead of Michael Belov.[4]

Formula Regional European Championship

In 2019 KIC Motorsport announced that Lappalainen would drive for them in the inaugural season of the Formula Regional European Championship alongside Isac Blomqvist.[5] He finished third at the Red Bull Ring, the only podium of his season, and ended the season in 11th in the standings.

Lappalainen would continue driving for KIC in 2020.[6] His season would be much more successful, with the Finn scoring two podiums and finishing sixth in the drivers' championship, although Lappalainen was beaten by his teammate Patrik Pasma.

Sportscar career

In 2021, Lappalainen would move across to sportscar racing, driving for Emil Frey Racing in both the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance and Sprint cups.[7] Partnering Jack Aitken and Arthur Rougier in the former, the trio would fail to score in the opening three rounds; this negative streak being compounded by a crash which injured Aitken at the 24 Hours of Spa.[8] At the final two races however, the team were able to take a pair of top-six finishes, leading Lappalainen to finish 16th in the standings.

The following year, a return to Emil Frey in the Silver Cup class of the GTWC Europe Endurance Cup was coupled with a full-time campaign in the ADAC GT Masters, in which Lappalainen would be joined by Mick Wishofer.[9][10] Lappalainen's campaign in GT Masters yielded little success, as he and Wishofer ended up 17th overall, though the pair managed to take victory at Zandvoort, where a pole position and charging first stint by Wishofer gave Lappalainen to take over the car in first position, leading to an uninterrupted run towards the checkered flag.[11] In the Endurance Cup, Lappalainen managed to finish on the podium of his class at the 24 Hours of Spa, before taking the team's only class win at the Hockenheimring.[12][13] Another podium at the season finale in Barcelona earned the team third place in the Silver Cup championship.[14]

Remaining with Emil Frey for a third successive season in 2023, the Finnish driver would concentrate his efforts to compete in the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup alongside Giacomo Altoè, driving the new Ferrari 296 GT3.[2] After two points-earning races at Brands Hatch to start the season off, Lappalainen and Altoè would score their first podium of the year in Misano, finishing second.[15]

Racing record

Career summary
Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2016 F4 Spanish Championship Double R Racing 5 0 0 0 0 0 NC†
Formula STCC Nordic FinnDrive 2 0 0 0 0 12 10th
2017 SMP F4 Championship Lappalainen Team 3 0 0 0 1 16 15th
F4 Spanish Championship SMP Racing 3 0 0 0 0 16 13th
KIC Motorsport 9 0 0 0 0
Formula STCC Nordic Kart in Club Driving Academy 14 2 2 1 9 222 2nd
2018 SMP F4 Championship Kart in Club Driving Academy 21 7 4 3 15 316 1st
ADAC Formula 4 Championship 11 0 0 0 0 19 15th
Formula Academy Finland N/A 6 3 0 1 5 123 4th
2019 Formula Regional European Championship KIC Motorsport 23 0 0 0 1 56 11th
2020 Formula Regional European Championship KIC Motorsport 22 0 0 1 2 140 6th
2021 GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup Emil Frey Racing 10 0 0 0 0 20.5 15th
GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup - Silver Cup 4 0 0 0 1 18.5 14th
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup 5 0 0 0 0 18 16th
Formula Regional European Championship KIC Motorsport 2 0 0 0 0 0 NC†
2022 ADAC GT Masters Emil Frey Racing 13 1 1 0 1 83 17th
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup 5 0 0 0 0 6 31st
2023 GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup Emil Frey Racing 10 0 0 0 1 41 7th
Formula Regional European Championship KIC Motorsport 2 0 0 0 0 0 36th
British GT Championship - GT3 7TSIX 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC†

† As Lappalainen was a guest driver, he was ineligible for championship points. * Season still in progress.

Complete SMP F4 Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Pos Points
2017 SMP Racing SOC
1		 SOC
2		 SOC
3		 SMO
1		 SMO
2		 SMO
3		 AHV
1		 AHV
2		 AHV
3		 AUD
1		 AUD
2		 AUD
3		 MSC1
1		 MSC1
2		 MSC1
3		 MSC2
1		 MSC2
2		 MSC2
3		 ASS
1
3		 ASS
2
12		 ASS
3
10		 15th 16
2018 Kart In Club Driving Academy SMO
1
6		 SMO
2
2		 SMO
3
2		 NRG
1
5		 NRG
2
Ret		 NRG
3
5		 MSC
1
1		 MSC
2
3		 MSC
3
1		 ADM
1
1		 ADM
2
1		 ADM
3
2		 AHV
1
1		 AHV
2
4		 AHV
3
3		 ALA
1
1		 ALA
2
2		 ALA
3
1		 ASS
1
Ret		 ASS
2
2		 ASS
3
2		 1st 316

Complete Formula Regional European Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 DC Points
2019 KIC Motorsport LEC
1
7		 LEC
2
7		 LEC
3
Ret		 VLL
1
12		 VLL
2
11		 VLL
3
C		 HUN
1
10		 HUN
2
9		 HUN
3
Ret		 RBR
1
12		 RBR
2
3		 RBR
3
9		 IMO
1
11		 IMO
2
9		 IMO
3
8		 IMO
4
8		 CAT
1
Ret		 CAT
2
9		 CAT
3
8		 MUG
1
12		 MUG
2
9		 MUG
3
13		 MNZ
1
9		 MNZ
2
9		 MNZ
3
10		 11th 56
2020 KIC Motorsport MIS
1
9†		 MIS
2
7		 MIS
3
Ret		 LEC
1
8		 LEC
2
Ret		 LEC
3
6		 RBR
1
Ret		 RBR
2
7		 RBR
3
11		 MUG
1
7		 MUG
2
DNS		 MUG
3
5		 MNZ
1
7		 MNZ
2
2		 MNZ
3
3		 CAT
1
6		 CAT
2
10		 CAT
3
7		 IMO
1
5		 IMO
2
7		 IMO
3
8		 VLL
1
5		 VLL
2
C		 VLL
3
4		 6th 140
2021 KIC Motorsport IMO
1		 IMO
2		 CAT
1		 CAT
2		 MCO
1		 MCO
2		 LEC
1		 LEC
2		 ZAN
1		 ZAN
2		 SPA
1		 SPA
2		 RBR
1		 RBR
2		 VAL
1		 VAL
2		 MUG
1		 MUG
2		 MNZ
1
Ret		 MNZ
2
30		 NC† 0
2023 KIC Motorsport IMO
1		 IMO
2		 CAT
1		 CAT
2		 HUN
1		 HUN
2		 SPA
1		 SPA
2		 MUG
1
23		 MUG
2
18		 LEC
1		 LEC
2		 RBR
1		 RBR
2		 MNZ
1		 MNZ
2		 ZAN
1		 ZAN
2		 HOC
1		 HOC
2		 36th 0

† As Lappalainen was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.

GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pos. Points
2021 Emil Frey Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo Pro MAG
1
12		 MAG
2
9		 ZAN
1
15		 ZAN
2
4		 MIS
1
7		 MIS
2
5		 15th 20.5
Silver BRH
1
8		 BRH
2
20		 VAL
1
9		 VAL
2
Ret		 14th 18.5
2023 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 Pro BRH
1
5		 BRH
2
8		 MIS
1
2		 MIS
2
6		 HOC
1
Ret		 HOC
2
12		 VAL
1
7		 VAL
2
5		 ZAN
1
 ZAN
2
 7th* 33.5*

*Season still in progress.

GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup

(Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Pos. Points
2021 Emil Frey Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo Pro MNZ
Ret		 LEC
37†		 SPA
6H
55†		 SPA
12H
Ret		 SPA
24H
Ret		 NÜR
5		 CAT
6		 16th 18
2022 Emil Frey Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo Silver IMO
28		 LEC
Ret		 SPA
6H
17		 SPA
12H
18		 SPA
24H
16		 HOC
7		 CAT
14		 3rd 73

Complete ADAC GT Masters results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 DC Points
2022 Emil Frey Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo OSC
1
6		 OSC
2
11		 RBR
1
18		 RBR
2
DNS		 ZAN
1
1		 ZAN
2
19		 NÜR
1
11		 NÜR
2
6		 LAU
1
21		 LAU
2
16		 SAC
1
12		 SAC
2
Ret		 HOC
1
6		 HOC
2
5		 17th 83

Complete British GT Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position in class) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap in class)

Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 DC Points
2023 7TSIX Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo GT3 OUL
1		 OUL
2		 SIL
1		 DON
1		 SNE
1		 SNE
2		 ALG
1
7		 BRH
1		 DON
1		 NC†* 0†*

† As Lappalainen was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points. * Season still in progress.

References
  1. "Second generation motorsport driver from Finland". konstalappalainen.com. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
  2. Lloyd, Daniel (2023-02-24). "Emil Frey Returns to Sprint Cup Alongside DTM – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
  3. "Konsta Lappalainen - Career and Success". January 5, 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  4. "F4 round-up: Lappalainen wins NEZ title, Suganami surprises in Japan". October 21, 2018. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  5. "NEZ F4 stars Lappalainen and Blomqvist to step up to Regional F3". January 18, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  6. "Konsta Lappalainen and Patrik Pasma join KIC Motorsport in FREC". March 10, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  7. "Emil Frey Racing Confirm Three Car GT World Challenge Europe Lamborghini Effort". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
  8. "Aitken sustained fractures in Spa 24 Hours crash". www.autosport.com. 2021-08-01. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
  9. Lloyd, Daniel (2022-02-28). "Emil Frey Enters GT Masters Alongside Endurance Cup – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
  10. Plümer, Jonas (2022-02-28). "ADAC GT Masters: Emil Frey Racing bestätigt Aufgebot". gt-place.com (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 2023-08-31.
  11. "Gamble pays off – Emil Frey Lamborghini takes victory in changing conditions in Zandvoort | ADAC GT Masters". adac-motorsport.de. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
  12. "Emil Frey Racing mit Silber Cup-Podium bei 24 Stunden von Spa belohnt - Emil Frey Racing". emilfreyracing.com. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
  13. "Saintéloc Junior Team leads home Audi one-two in action-packed Fanatec GT Endurance contest at Hockenheim". Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS. 2022-09-04. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
  14. "Konsta Lappalainen collect bronze medal at GT World Challenge Endurance Europe - Finn also on podium at Barcelona finals". Konsta Lappalainen - Professional GT-motorsport driver from Finland | Konstalappalainen.com (in Finnish). Retrieved 2023-08-31.
  15. Lloyd, Daniel (2023-07-15). "Marciello, Boguslavskiy Take Sprint Points Lead in Race 1 – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
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