There are lots of new things for the French Grand Prix. New drivers, new looks on cars and a new haircut for Jacques Villeneuve, who hopes to return to the top of the Formula One standings over Michael Schumacher.
One old thing is the rain, which has affected every European GP race this year.There are four relatively new drivers at this race, the eighth of the Formula One season.
Jarno Trulli of Italy is with the Prost team, replacing Oliver Panis, who fractured both legs in a crash at the Canadian GP. Panis hopes to be driving again by September.
Tarso Marques of Brazil replaces Trulli on the Minardi team. He raced two South American GPs last year and was a test driver for the Arrows team.
Argentine Norberto Fontana is with Sauber-Petronas, taking over from Gianni Morbidelli, who crashed last week during testing. Fontana is the first Argentine driver in Formula One in eight years.
Alexander Wurz will be driving his second race for Benetton-Renault, replacing fellow Austrian Gerhard Berger, who is recuperating from a sinus operation.
The anti-tobacco laws in France affect the cars which are sponsored by cigarette companies. It requires the brand names to disappear for this week. So the Williams team decided to put a question mark on its cars.
However the very recognizable symbols and colors are still present.
One new color is the platinum blonde hair of Villeneuve. His new hair-do stands out in the relatively conservative world of Formula One.
He is trying to end speculation that he will return to the IndyCar series next year after his displeasure with the new Formula One regulations that will slow down cars.
"It'll be a surprise if you don't find me in a Williams next year," Villeneuve said. The team has an option on his driving contract.
Villeneuve was fifth in Friday's free practice as the teams tested rain settings. The one-hour morning session was marred by rain. In the afternoon, the sun came out briefly and the winds dried out the track.
Schumacher led the practice with a lap of 1 minute, 18.339 seconds, in a Ferrari.
He is hoping for the rain, in which he excels.
"In the rain, we suffer less," he said. "We will employ some people to pray for rain. It is possible not to get in the points in a normal dry race as you have good competition from Williams, Benetton, Mclaren and Jordan."
Last year's world champion, Damon Hill, also is hoping for rain. He said his tires on his Arrows-Yamaha do better in the rain.
"I am doing my rain dance," Hill said. "I would like a wet race. "
He won last year's race in a Williams-Renault, but it took him seven races this season before he finished a race in his new Arrows-Yamaha, placing ninth at the Canadian GP.
Conditions changed between morning and afternoon. Not only were times more than 12 seconds faster at the top, the morning leader, Rubens Barichello, was only 10th in the afternoon in a Stewart-Ford.
Saturday is qualifying for Sunday's race, which will be 72 laps of the 2.64-mile Nevers circuit.
Schumacher leads the standings with 37 points, followed by Villeneuve with 30.