I will race whatever happens this time: Kimi Raikkonen

Nurburgring: Always a maverick, Kimi Raikkonen lived up to expectations on Friday when he said he had no intention of withdrawing from this weekend`s German Grand Prix even if his fellow-drivers did in reaction to a repeat of the tyre blowouts seen at last weekend`s British Grand Prix.

The taciturn Finn, known as `the ice man`, said he will take race for Lotus in Sunday`s race whatever happens. "I haven`t seen it, I heard," he said, when asked for his reaction to the overnight statement made by the Grand Prix Drivers Association (GPDA), in which they threatened to pull out if they felt the tyres were unsafe to use. "I am sure it is not going to happen anyhow.” "I was once involved in 2005 and funnily enough there were some guys that didn`t stop -- and they drove.” "So for sure I will race whatever happens this time." His reference to 2005 was to the United States Grand Prix that year in Indianapolis where the seven teams running on Michelin tyres withdrew on safety grounds. Three other teams, using Bridgestone tyres, took part to give a huge crowd the spectacle of a six-car Grand Prix. Raikkonen said he was invited to the GPDA meeting, but had chosen not to attend. "Yes," he said, when asked. "But I am not part of it, sometimes I go - but I hear about it as quickly as you." Asked about this weekend, he told reporters: "I would race. The problems are not just because of the tyres - there can be a lot of influence in why it has happened. "We haven`t had a single problem all year, so I have no feeling. Motor racing is dangerous anyhow, anything can happen. The reason why they exploded was that the teams were using them wrong. I am fine with it." AFP