Bernie Ecclestone Detained in Portugal for Undeclared Shotgun

Bernie Ecclestone’s long life on the move found fresh turbulence on Monday, when the former Formula 1 supremo was briefly detained at a small airfield near Lisbon after arriving with an undeclared shotgun on his private jet.

The 95-year-old Briton was stopped at Tires airfield, close to the resort town of Cascais, after police discovered the weapon during checks following his arrival from Switzerland. Ecclestone told Reuters by phone that he had brought the shotgun for clay pigeon shooting but did not have the paperwork required to bring it into Portugal.

He said the gun, which he uses in Switzerland, was intended for a clay shooting event linked to an exhibition taking place over the weekend. What he did not have was the so‑called “blue book” needed to legally import it.

Ecclestone, travelling with his wife Fabiana, who serves as vice-president for sport at Formula 1’s governing body, said he had already passed through customs when the situation escalated. Police then queried the firearm and asked for documentation he could not provide, triggering what he described as “unnecessary aggravation”.

With Ecclestone unable to resolve the matter on the spot and not speaking Portuguese, his Brazilian-born wife stepped in. She travelled on to Lisbon, accompanied by a customs official, to hand the shotgun over to the authorities.

“So now we’ve gone through all this and the people in Lisbon have got the gun,” Ecclestone said. “I’ve signed some documents as they wanted.”

Portuguese newspapers first broke the story, citing police sources who said the shotgun was picked up during a routine inspection. Local reports said the former F1 boss was briefly detained during the process, before being allowed to leave once the weapon had been surrendered and formalities completed.

Ecclestone, a former racer who built and controlled Formula 1’s commercial empire for roughly four decades until his ousting in 2017, owns a home in the nearby coastal area. The incident adds another entry to a colourful off-track record that has often run parallel to his time in the spotlight.

It also echoes a previous clash with firearms regulations. In 2022, Ecclestone was detained in Brazil after security staff at Campinas airport found an unregistered small handgun in his luggage as he prepared to board a private plane bound for Switzerland. He acknowledged owning that weapon but said he had not realised it was in his bag, dismissing the affair at the time as “silly” and “tiny”.

Now, another airport, another undeclared gun, and another set of signatures on official forms for the man who once dictated the pace of an entire sport.