Bernie Ecclestone detained in Portugal after arriving with undocumented shotgun at 95

Bernie Ecclestone, the 95-year-old former Formula 1 CEO, was reportedly detained by Portuguese police after arriving at Tires Aerodrome in Cascais — an airfield just outside Lisbon — with a shotgun he was unable to document. Officers from the Airport Division of the PSP (Portuguese Public Security Police) carried out the detention following a routine inspection of his private jet, according to Portuguese outlet Correio da Manha.

Ecclestone confirmed to Daily Mail Sport that he had brought the gun from Switzerland for clay-pigeon shooting, but acknowledged he lacked the necessary paperwork. He disputed the characterisation of a formal arrest, saying the situation was eventually resolved after what he described as “what seemed like hours.”

“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,” Ecclestone said. He added that the firearm was discovered only after a police officer requested to search his bag following customs clearance, and that he was asked for a “blue book” — the documentation required to transport a firearm into Portugal — which he did not have.

“They said they would arrest me, but after what seemed like hours, we sorted it out, but it has been wall-to-wall aggravation,” he said. Ecclestone noted that his wife, Fabiana Flosi, travelled to Lisbon to surrender the weapon or settle the required import process, while he remained at their home awaiting resolution.

The incident is the second time in four years that Ecclestone has faced questioning over a firearm. In 2022, Brazilian authorities at Campinas airport detained him before a flight to Switzerland after an unloaded LW Seecamp.32 calibre pistol was found in his luggage. He posted bail and described that episode as a minor misunderstanding, saying he had purchased the weapon as a home deterrent and forgotten it was in his bag. Ecclestone denied a formal arrest on that occasion too, though São Paulo’s public security office confirmed in a statement that a businessman had been arrested for firearm possession at the airport.