Google is my home screen. Just the search bar and nothing else . . . until now.
FF new tab does not call the google screen and I keep a Bookmark just to reinstate that.* In fact, apart from the first Home Screen call, there's just a FF emblem top left. So it would definitely be a google intrusion, albeit onto their own page. Their setting haven't revealed anything useful and I guess that's why folk on forums are spitting nails.
*If there's a way to open the google screen with every new tab I'd like to know.
https://www.google.co.uk/ is all that's in the Bookmark.