Baumgartner escapes second assault.

Minardi driver Zsolt Baumgartner must feel as though someone has painted a target on his car, after he survived a second high-speed tangle in as many Formula One weekends.

After being taken out the Belgian Grand Prix when Jenson Button's rear tyre exploded and pitched the BAR into him on the run to Les Combes at Spa, the Hungarian was again an innocent victim as Jordan rival Giorgio Pantano speared him at Monza's first chicane.

The incident occurred in the final free practice session on Saturday morning, but could have been potentially nastier than the racing incident in Belgium. Pantano appeared to lose control under braking on the bumpy run to the Rettifilio chicane, his Jordan spinning backwards along the grass verge before collecting the hapless Baumgartner as he turned in to the lap's opening complex.

"I was lucky, as the speed differential between my car and the car that hit me was much higher than at Spa two weeks ago," the Minardi man revealed, "I'm just happy that I didn't suffer any injuries."

For team boss Paul Stoddart, the incident was an unwanted blow, adding to the spares bill run up after both Baumgartner and team-mate Gianmaria Bruni were taken out of the Belgian race, and potentially confining a notable Minardi chassis - it was the one in which Baumgartner scored a point in the USGP - to the scrap bin.

"It hasn't been the greatest of days for Minardi," Stoddart admitted, "Two race weekends in succession, Zsolt was been taken out as a result of someone else's problems. This time, although the accident didn't look as dramatic as the one at Spa, the damage was far more serious, resulting in the total loss of the chassis. That's racing, however, and, all in all, the team did well to get Zsolt settled in the spare car for qualifying."

The incident had repercussions for Baumgartner too, as the Hungarian was forced to switch to the T-car, which was fitted with a fresh engine, the penalty for which was the addition of ten places on his eventual grid position. While this may not have been too big a punishment to take for what would have a back of the field run, the unfamiliar T-car caught the Hungarian out at the same chicane on his qualifying lap, and his 'short-cut' across the grass saw another nominal second added to his time, demoting him to 20th spot.

"I locked the brakes up going into the first chicane and slid across the first part of it, losing time in the process," the driver admitted, "Otherwise, the rest of the lap was better than on the previous run."

Team-mate Bruni was promoted to 18th by Baumgartner's penalty and also that applied to Jordan's Nick Heidfeld following a Friday engine change.