Cries of "forza Ferrari" were heard across Melbourne's "Little Italy" as celebrations of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc's podium finishes in the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix continued late into the night.
Huge crowds lined the iconic Lygon Street in Carlton to watch a parade of Ferrari vehicles and fans clad in team colours, while others celebrated with food and drink under Italian bunting in the outdoor dining precinct.
Victoria Police said the fans were well behaved with no arrests during the overnight celebrations or at the Albert Park track which saw record-breaking crowds of 452,055 over the four-day event, according to the Australian Grand Prix Corporation's figures.
"We've had a great three days watching. I'm a big Carlos fan from New Zealand," said one couple.
"It was a great race. Ferrari nailed it. We're pretty happy."
Restaurateurs were celebrating wins both on and off the track, with late night business booming in the Italian eateries.
"Tonight's been huge with the win of the Ferraris, it's been a great night for Lygon Street," this operator said.
"We've had all the Ferrari supporters out here, the cars, it's been awesome," he said.
"We've probably had a couple of hundred people through the doors and, as you can see, the streets are crowded."
For some Ferrari fans, the win was more personal.
These Lygon Street workers said they were friends with Charles Leclerc and went go-karting with him on Tuesday before the racing became more serious.
"It's good to see the people out enjoying Formula 1, enjoying Ferrari," they said.
"The passion's alive."
"Hopefully we can keep it going throughout the year."
Cynthia Costa is the manager of Piccolo Mondo.
She said the overnight crowds were far bigger than in 2023, and there were at least 20 Ferraris parked down Lygon Street.
"Packed is not the word," she told ABC Radio Melbourne.
"We had inside, outside, upstairs, balcony completely full, it was absolutely crazy."
"People were lining up waiting for tables, we could not get our tables (changed over) fast enough."
Track ban re-think as Melbourne pushes to be biggest event on racing calendar
Australian Grand Prix Corporation chief executive officer Travis Auld praised the behaviour of the crowd, and revealed authorities would reconsider the ban on spectators entering the track at the conclusion of the race.
This year was the first time in the Australian event's history that fans were not allowed to take part in post-race celebrations, after a safety breach in 2023 when several people slipped through security fencing before all cars had finished.
"Fans did everything we asked them to do [this year] so now it gives us the opportunity to rethink what we do for 2025," Mr Auld said.
“Fans were incredibly well behaved over the entire four days.
"To have 450,000 people here, really without an incident, is incredible.”
Mr Auld said he would push ahead with plans to make the Albert Park race the biggest on the F1 grand prix calendar.
That would not only mean tens of thousands more fans packing into Albert Park, but needing transport to and from the circuit.
Mr Auld said the corporation would consult tram operators about the plan, as well as lobby the state government to ensure the new Metro rail tunnel's Anzac Station would open in time to run extra train services to the 2025 race.
"We want to be the biggest grand prix in the world but we also want to have the best experience in the world," Mr Auld said.
"We won't put one of those in front of the other.
"What we're sort of learning really quickly is this is no longer the Melbourne grand prix, it's become Melbourne's grand prix – this race is now owned by this city."
But Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan today said the Metro Rail Tunnel would not open until late next year.
"There's a big testing phase underway right now, it's probably the most complex stage of the project," Ms Allan said.
"We're working through each of these milestones in a strong way but we will continue to say that the project will be completed by the end of 2025."
Weekend CBD visitors more than double
Economic experts have debated how much the annual race is worth to the city, but Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp said the record-breaking attendance, coinciding with the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show and the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, resulted in a strong weekend for the hospitality and tourism industries.
"Our foot traffic (on Sunday) in the city was up 175 per cent on the same Sunday in 2019 so it gives you a sense of what it drives for our local traders," Ms Capp told ABC News Breakfast.
"I think it really reflects how well organised it is, how highly regarded it is by the drivers and their teams, but also that economic value.
"And we can't really measure the value of underpinning our reputation as a global event city when you see those magnificent pictures of Melbourne beamed into other places around the world."