Victoria has no plans to move or create a new public holiday on the Friday before the Australian Formula One Grand Prix, after the Melbourne event drew a record crowd.
Some 419,114 fans poured through the gates of Albert Park from Thursday to Sunday, as the F1 returned to Melbourne for the first time since the 2020 race was cancelled at the 11th hour over COVID-19 concerns.
It was the largest crowd since 520,000 fans attended the 1995 Australian Grand Prix - the final race in Adelaide before it moved to Melbourne - and eclipsed the F1's highest attendance figure in 2021 of 400,000 in Austin, Texas.
The success of this year's event has raised the question of whether the Victorian government would consider adding or moving a public holiday to further lift crowd numbers for 2023 and beyond.
Victoria and the ACT have the equal most full public holidays each year of any Australian state or territory with 13.
Asked if his state could shift the contentious AFL grand final eve holiday to the Friday before the race, Victorian Deputy Premier James Merlino was resolute.
"We've got no plans to change our suite of public holidays. We think its serves Melbourne and Victoria well," he told reporters on Monday.
Australian Grand Prix Corporation chief executive Andrew Westacott noted such a move may conflict with Victoria's Labor Day public holiday, set down for the second Monday of March each year, and suggested Thursday is where the event has scope for growth.
"I don't think you need a public holiday to increase the crowd from 112,000 on Friday," he told Melbourne radio station 3AW.
Even larger crowds on Saturday and Sunday led to headaches for fans leaving the course, with many struggling to find their way home with taxis, rideshare services and trams.
Mr Merlino admitted he too found it difficult to leave post-race on Sunday and indicated there would be opportunity for reflection.
"We're always looking at ways that we can improve whether that's the configuration of how people move in and out of an event space (or) public transport," he said.
The Andrews Labor government has a contract for the Australian Grand Prix to remain in Melbourne until 2025, with talks continuing with F1 management to extend the deal.
This year's race cost Victorian taxpayers $56.65 million, but Mr Merlino says it represents value for money.
"The images of Melbourne that are broadcast to hundreds and hundreds of millions of people worldwide, it is a great advertisement for our state and for our city and it brings economic dividends," he said.
