Dannii's hot for the Aussie GP

By David Garrido
Newsbeat sports reporter

Dannii cannot help bursting into song even during a racing interview

As the Formula One season kicks off down under, we have been chatting to petrol head Dannii Minogue.

The X Factor judge is a huge fan of F1 and is from Melbourne where the Australian GP takes place.

Newsbeat sports reporter David Garrido caught up with her...

HOW DID YOU FIRST BECOME A FAN OF F1?

My first time I thought they drove in circles! It was a friend of mine, another girl, who explained the rules to me.

I think it's a really good chick's sport once you know what's going on. The more you know about it, the more you love it, the more you have to watch it.

SO WHAT IS THE AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX LIKE?

Well Jenson Button is a friend of mine, so we get access into the paddock which is incredible. You get to walk through the pits and see the crews working on the cars.

Newsbeat's David Garrido jostles for position with Dannii on the grid

I'm a Melbournite and I have to say it seems like all the teams like being in Melbourne. The weather is sensational, the sky is blue, it's hot as anything and you need a cold beer to chill you off!

I'm a rev head, a petrol head and I think it's a great advert to show the world how beautiful Melbourne is.

JENSON MUST HAVE BEEN FRUSTRATED LAST SEASON?

I just saw him and his spirits are really, really high. Everybody's excited that Ross Brawn [Honda's new boss, who spent 10 years at Ferrari] is on board.

Already they are seeing that things are going to go up. With Ross on board they can only keep going up. So I think Jenson has got to hold on to that hope for a little bit longer.

Lewis, Dannii and Jenson. But who are they listening to?

WHAT DID YOU MAKE OF LEWIS HAMILTON'S DEBUT SEASON?

I think the guy is incredible. He is mostly perfect in every way, shape and form.

I think it is amazing to see Britain have a real sporting hero who they can get behind. The world is now watching to see what the British drivers are going to do.

I think in a way he showed up some of the other more experienced drivers in his attitude. It showed how good he was that other people felt threatened.

Click here to see pictures from a Formula One party