UPDATE 2: Barcelona has been confirmed as the planned replacement for Valencia.

UPDATE 1: Sunday morning update from Sepang: Barcelona is now hotly tipped as the new venue for the 2024 MotoGP season finale, on the same weekend as the cancelled Valencia event. All three classes will attend. A post-race test is also set to be held at Barcelona on the Tuesday after the race.

Although the Valencia MotoGP season finale is now officially 💝cancelled, due to the disastrous flooding, the replacement venue is yet to be announced.

Rumours at Sepang in Malaysia, the venue for this weekend’s penult൩imate event, suggested riders might be in💝formed of the new finale before Saturday’s Sprint.

The theory was that title rivals Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin might adjust their tactജics this 🌞weekend, depending on if they consider the replacement circuit to favour one or the other.

Either way, riders insisted they still didn't know the identity of the new finale🔯 when speaking to the media on Saturday evening.

An alternative Spanish event, a trip 'next door’ to Portimao or a flyaway in Qatar ๊are the rumoured candidates.

“I🤡 think we don't have to do it in Spain honestly, because anywhere we go in Spain is s🐬o close to what’s happening,” said GASGAS Tech3’s Augusto Fernandez.

“I🌃t's not nice what's happening there an♊d every day we discover more deaths.

“So I♚ don't feel🅠 to celebrate anywhere, but [especially] close to that place. So let's see, we will wait for the decision of Dorna.”

MotoGP is also thought to be open 🐽to moving the Novembe༺r 15-17 date if, for example, Michelin needs more time to produce and ship the necessary tyres.

But a later date means even colder temperatures in Europe, adding weight to speculation that Qat🌌ar, which opened the new MotoGP season in March🅷, might also close it.

However, while the cold Eu🅰ropean autumn would not be an issue, Lusail has to prepare for its F1 Grand Prix on December 6-8♉. 

There is also the question of whether the one✱-day post-race test can take place "at the same circuit used for the final event" as stated in the regulations.

In a sign of how open the choice of replacement remains, Alex Marquez felt that S🐓pain would still be appropriate.

“I’mꦓ super happy with the decision Dorna made [to cancel Valencia],” 🍸Marquez said. 

“I think it’s the correct one and it’s the decision that all the riders were pushing for because every day that pas𝔍ses it’s more of a nightmare, things getting worse and worse.

“I hope to have th༺e last race in Spain, and close to Valencia - so maybe Montmelo or Aragon, but also Jerez is nice - and make something for Valencia. Some pre-evꦡent and try to raise some money for the Valencia people.”

The new finale will also be the last grand prix of countryman Aleix Espargaro’s full-time MotoGP c𓆉areer.

The scenes of destructi🥃on and🀅 rising fatalities in the Valencia region have hit the Aprilia rider hard.

“I'm very sad, really,” Espargaro said on Saturday. "I feel maybe it's not very fair [that I feel so sad] because what happened in Valencia happens also in different places in the world, and I ne🔜ver felt like this.

“Maybe I feel like this 🔯because I feel like it's my home, I have some friends there. But I feel really really bad here this weekend.

“I think it's fair not to go to Valencia, because - even if we help them somehow with raising money or whatever - our sport is a show, a party, and I think it💯's not a place to go and party.

“I don't know where we go [now], but I will try as a rider to talk with the others and see how we can help Valencia, how we can r🅰aise some money. 

"I talked yesterday with Carlos 🌃Ezpeleta and also Carmelo, to see from a rider's side what we can do.”

Another factor to consider is that the 2024 title can now be ma𝔍thematically decided, in Jorge Martin's favour, in Malaysia on Sunday. 

Should that happen, the attraction for a circuit stepping inღ to host the new final round will be massively reduced. Although sugg🙈estions that the finale could then be scrapped altogether appear wide of the mark.

However, with the M꧅oto2 and Moto3 world champions already crowned, a 'Moto🧔GP only' event might be on the cards, especially if the chosen finale means a flyaway trip to Qatar.