Raikkonen in the Alfa Romeo Stelvio spotlight

Kimi Raikkonen currently drives for Alfa Romeo in Formula One, and as part of his role, the 2007 world champion is apparently required to appear in an ad for the Italian automaker.

Motor1 spotted a TV spot for Alfa Romeo's home country in which Raikkonen swapped his race car for the Stelvio SUV. Raikkonen was on his way to the hotel where he was to meet up, but was running late as he had to drive around the famous Monaco Grand Prix street circuit point. He explained that it was his first time in Monaco and smiled, a rare smile for the Finn.

It is unclear whether the ad will air in the U.S., but given the low profile of F1 in the U.S., it is probably unlikely. Also, Raikkonen has not finished a race anywhere near the podium recently. He finished 12th last season, and his performance in 2020 is unlikely to improve significantly.

Alfa Romeo has refreshed its Stelvio and related sedan, the Giulia, for 2020. Both cars retain their handsome styling, but the interiors have been updated with larger digital screens in the instrument cluster and infotainment hub. Some of the physical controls and materials were also updated.