Bernie Ecclestone Arrested in Portugal After Gun Found at Airport
The 95-year-old former Formula 1 boss was stopped at Tires Airport near Lisbon after arriving from Switzerland on September 7, 2026.
Bernie Ecclestone, the 95-year-old former head of Formula 1, was detained in Portugal after a firearm was discovered during checks at Tires Airport near Lisbon on September 7, 2026, following his arrival from Switzerland aboard his private plane.
Ecclestone told reporters that the weapon had been transported for a sporting purpose. "I had a gun that I carried from Switzerland to Portugal for clay pigeon shooting. That's all. I have a pistol at home which is properly registered," Ecclestone said.
Detention and paperwork issue
Portuguese authorities questioned Ecclestone about the documentation required to move the firearm into the country. "They said they would arrest me, but after, what seemed like, several hours we managed to sort the problem out. It was all endless hassle," Ecclestone said.
Following the incident, his wife Fabiana travelled to Lisbon to hand over the firearm or complete the necessary import formalities on his behalf.
This is not Ecclestone's first run-in over weapons. In 2022 he was detained in Brazil after attempting to board a plane with a pistol in his luggage and was later released on bail. A year later he received a 17-month suspended sentence for tax fraud after failing to declare more than £400 million held in a fund in Singapore.
Ecclestone, who led Formula 1 for nearly four decades, remains a prominent and controversial figure in the sport's modern history.
Photo: press material from the event
