Former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone was detained at a Portuguese airport after authorities found a shotgun in his possession without the required documentation. The 95-year-old was questioned for around an hour before being released, later insisting he had brought the weapon for a clay pigeon shooting competition.
Ecclestone arrived at Tires Aerodrome near Lisbon from Switzerland on Monday, where airport police and customs officials stopped him after discovering the firearm. He said he was asked to produce a “blue book”, the documentation required for transporting the weapon, but did not have it with him.
“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,” Ecclestone told the Daily Mail.
Ecclestone subsequently surrendered the shotgun and was released later in the day. Speaking to the Press Association, he rejected reports that he had been arrested and said the Portuguese officers had been “very helpful” during the incident.
“I was going to take part in a clay pigeon shooting competition in Portugal,” he said.
Ecclestone explained that he had previously taken the shotgun from England to Switzerland and expected no complications when bringing it into Portugal. He said airport officials knew him well, but the lack of the necessary paperwork meant he could not legally bring the firearm into the country.
NOT HIS FIRST AIRPORT INCIDENT
The episode is not Ecclestone’s first run-in with airport authorities over a firearm. In May 2022, he was detained at Viracopos Airport in Brazil after police discovered a .32-calibre pistol in his possession while he was preparing to board a private flight to Switzerland.
Ecclestone was subsequently ordered to pay a fine of 6,000 Brazilian reals, approximately £1,000 at the time, and was allowed to leave the country.
The British businessman spent almost four decades as Formula 1’s most influential commercial figure, building his control of the sport after securing its television rights in the late 1970s. He remained in charge until 2017 and continues to attend F1 races, while dividing his time between Switzerland and Portugal.
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