Ex-F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone reportedly arrested for travelling with shotgun in Portugal

Former Formula 1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone was reportedly arrested in Portugal for allegedly carrying a shotgun, according to Portuguese outlet Correio da Manha.

The 95-year-old was reportedly detained after his private jet landed at Tires Aerodrome in Cascais, an airfield located just outside Lisbon.

The report from Correio da Manha indicated that the incident occurred during a routine inspection at the airport and stated that “his arrest was carried out by officers from the Airport Division of the PSP (Portuguese Public Security Police).”

Ecclestone confirmed to Daily Mail Sport that he had travelled with the gun for clay-pigeon shooting in Portugal, but admitted that he did not have the necessary documentation. He denied that he was formally arrested, adding that after “what seemed like hours, we sorted it out.”

“I had a gun that I was bringing over from Switzerland to Portugal for clay-pigeon shooting. It’s as simple as that. I have guns at home there that are licensed,” he explained.

“We cleared customs on arriving here – I know the guys there – and they were fine with everything. No problems. Then a policeman afterwards asked to search the bag. It could have been [his six-year-old son] Ace’s fishing tackle for all it looked like, but it wasn’t.

“They asked if I had a ‘blue book’, which is apparently the documentation you need, and I told them I never travel with documents like that, any documents at all, practically. They said they would arrest me, but after what seemed like hours, we sorted it out, but it has been wall-to-wall aggravation.

Bernie Ecclestone

Photo by: Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images

“But it seems it can be put right. Fabi [his wife, Fabiana Flosi] has gone to Lisbon to surrender the gun, or pay the tax or whatever you need to bring it in, or to hand it over in the end. I said I would go too, but I didn’t as it happened, and I am sitting at home waiting for the situation to be put to bed.”

This is the second time in a four-year period that Ecclestone has faced questioning over a firearm.

During a well-documented 2022 incident in Sao Paulo, Brazilian authorities detained him prior to a flight to Switzerland after discovering an unloaded LW Seecamp .32 calibre pistol inside his luggage. He subsequently posted bail and dismissed the ordeal as a minor misunderstanding, explaining that he purchased the weapon as a home deterrent and had forgotten it was in his bag.

Ecclestone denied that he had been formally arrested in 2022, while Sao Paulo’s public security office confirmed in a statement that a businessman was arrested for possession of a firearm at the Campinas airport.

We want your opinion!

– The Motorsport.com Team