Former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, 95, has reportedly been detained by Portuguese authorities over the alleged illegal possession of a shotgun at Tires Aerodrome near Lisbon, marking the second time in just over four years that he has been held over a firearm at an airport.
Former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has reportedly been arrested for illegally carrying a shotgun at a Portuguese aerodrome. Ecclestone, 95, is understood to have been detained at Tires Aerodrome in Cascais, west of Lisbon, after landing there in his private jet. The reports, currently circulating via Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manhã, describe a detention over possession of a shotgun, though Portuguese authorities have not yet issued a detailed public statement confirming the exact circumstances of the incident.
What remains unclear
At this stage, several key details of the case have not been established. Reports have not confirmed whether the shotgun was discovered in Ecclestone’s luggage, aboard his aircraft, or elsewhere at the aerodrome. It is also not yet clear whether Portuguese prosecutors intend to bring formal charges, or whether Ecclestone will be required to appear before a court, both of which remain important unanswered questions as the situation develops.
Ecclestone currently divides his time between Switzerland, Portugal and Brazil, meaning his presence at the Portuguese aerodrome is consistent with his established pattern of international travel.
A repeat of a 2022 incident in Brazil
This is not the first time Ecclestone has faced arrest over a firearm at an airport. In May 2022, he was detained in Brazil after an LW Seecamp .32 pistol was discovered in his luggage during an X-ray inspection, as he prepared to board a private aircraft travelling from São Paulo to Switzerland.
At the time, Ecclestone said he had not known the firearm was in his luggage, explaining that he had acquired it years earlier from a Formula 1 mechanic and had kept it for personal protection. He was released after paying bail and was permitted to continue travelling, later describing the Brazilian case as a relatively minor incident. Notably, that 2022 arrest came when Ecclestone was nearly 92 years old, meaning the latest reported Portuguese case represents a second firearm-related airport incident at an advanced age. No connection has been established between the two cases beyond the similarity of the circumstances, and there is currently no evidence that the firearms involved were in any way related.
Background: Ecclestone’s UK tax fraud case
The latest reported incident comes after a far more serious legal matter for Ecclestone in the UK. In 2022, he pleaded guilty to fraud relating to his failure to declare hundreds of millions of pounds in overseas assets. He received a 17-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and agreed to pay HM Revenue & Customs approximately £652.6 million, plus prosecution costs.
Ecclestone was not imprisoned following that conviction, with the court taking into account his age, medical condition and the low perceived risk of him reoffending when determining his sentence.
A dominant figure in F1 history
At 95, Ecclestone remains one of the most prominent figures in the history of Formula 1. He effectively controlled the commercial side of the sport for decades, before Liberty Media acquired Formula 1 in 2017 and removed him from his executive role within the organisation.
