After three exciting cameo appearances in 2024, Oliver Bearman finally had his moment to shine as a full-time driver at the 2025 Australian GP. He arrived at Albert Park with a smile, ready to represent his new team, Haas. It was a special moment and Bearman’s entire family was there to cheer him on.
In a Sky Sports segment before the race, Bearman looked excited to have his whole family in Melbourne. He admitted he was especially thrilled about his grandparents and, in particular, his mother being there.
His dad, David, has been a regular presence at most of his races in F1 and junior categories over the years. Bearman even chose his F1 number as a tribute to him. His mother, Terrie, however, has sat out most of them. “My mum never comes…” Bearman said. But it wasn’t due to a lack of support for her son.
To further explain Terrie’s reasoning, fellow rookie Kimi Antonelli stepped in.
“My mom and your mom… they can be together during the race. Because also, my mom can’t watch,” the 18-year-old Mercedes driver said.
Bearman immediately agreed, adding, “She gets so nervous, and she’s really superstitious. So I hope the race goes well this weekend — then she can come back.”
Sadly for Terrie, the weekend could not have gone any worse for her son. Because of damages sustained to his Haas in practice, Bearman could not register a time in qualifying. He had to start the race from from the pit-lane but with arguably the slowest car on the grid and treacherous conditions marring proceedings, there was little Bearman could do.
The 19-year-old finished P14 — last out of all the classified finishers — behind teammate Esteban Ocon. Terrie, who is superstitious, will most likely choose to sit out the next few races as a result.
Not our weekend, but both drivers gave it everything right until the end #HaasF1 #F1 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/xHSMmXXqs3
— MoneyGram Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) March 16, 2025
That said, Terrie is not disconnected from her son’s racing career. She has made appearances at award ceremonies and interacted with his counterparts in the past, as evidenced by an anecdote shared by Jack Doohan — another rookie who crashed out in Melbourne — in the same interview.
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Doohan met Terrie at the 2022 FIA Prize Giving Ceremony in Monaco, where she wished him good luck for the season ahead — before hilariously adding, “Behind my son.”
Her sentiments would remain the same in 2025, with both Doohan and Bearman now sharing the F1 grid. Neither had a particularly memorable debut, but with that out of the way, the focus shifts to the Chinese GP next weekend. Both will be hoping for a much stronger performance.
