Bernie Ecclestone Arrested Again Over Gun at Portuguese Aerodrome
Bernie Ecclestone, the man who once ruled Formula One with an iron grip and a stopwatch, is again facing questions over a firearm found in his possession.
The 95-year-old former F1 supremo was reportedly arrested at Tires Aerodrome in Cascais, just outside Lisbon, after landing in his private jet and being found with a shotgun. Local outlet Correio de Manha reported that airport officers detained him during what was described as a routine operation.
For now, the official line is blurred. Portugal’s Airport Division of the Public Security Police (PSP) has not confirmed the arrest publicly. A PSP spokesman has already moved to distance the force’s border control unit from the incident, stating that its officers did not make the arrest being attributed to them. The matter, the force said, falls under the remit of the Tax and Customs Authority – Lisbon Delegation. Customs officials have yet to comment.
What is clear is that Ecclestone once again finds himself in familiar territory: a gun, a private jet, and uncomfortable questions at the border.
Echoes of Brazil
The scene in Cascais instantly calls to mind his brush with the law in Brazil four years ago.
In 2022, Ecclestone was detained at Campinas airport near Sao Paulo when security discovered an LW Seecamp .32 pistol in his luggage as he prepared to board a flight to Switzerland. He admitted carrying the weapon but insisted he had not realised it was in his bag.
He paid bail, was freed, and continued his journey. Later, he dismissed the episode as a “silly, tiny little incident” that had caused him considerable aggravation while trying to return to Europe with his family. He even rejected the notion that he had been formally arrested, despite Brazilian authorities confirming that a businessman – not named at the time – had been detained for possession of a firearm.
Ecclestone said he had bought the small handgun years earlier in Brazil from a Formula One mechanic, without ammunition, describing it as a deterrent. According to his own account, he was told he “needed something like this” in case of a mugging. The pistol, he said, ended up in his house and sometimes became a prop for jokes when visitors came by.
Now, another weapon and another airport have dragged that history back into the spotlight.
No Charges Confirmed Yet
In Portugal, the immediate question is whether this reported arrest will lead to formal charges or a court appearance. At this stage, it is not known if Ecclestone will be charged or brought before a judge.
The case sits in a complex web of agencies. With PSP pointing to the Tax and Customs Authority and customs officials not immediately reachable, the picture remains incomplete. For a man used to operating in the shadows of high finance and global sport, the silence around the details is familiar – but no less uncomfortable.
Ecclestone, who splits his time between homes in Switzerland, Portugal and Brazil, has deep ties to the country where this latest incident is said to have taken place. He played a key role in bringing Formula One back to Portugal in 1984, helping secure the sport’s return to the Iberian nation.
Legal Troubles Off the Track
This is not the only legal cloud to have followed Ecclestone into his later years.
In 2022, he agreed to pay £652 million after failing to declare overseas assets, including a trust in Singapore holding around £400 million. He pleaded guilty to a single charge of fraud and received a 17-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. The deal kept him out of jail but underscored the scale of his financial dealings and the scrutiny surrounding them.
For decades, Ecclestone controlled Formula One with a ruthless efficiency, turning it from a niche motorsport into a global commercial powerhouse. Now, his public appearances are less about grid walks and paddock politics and more about courtrooms, customs checks and questions over guns and undeclared fortunes.
Whether this latest reported arrest in Portugal becomes another “tiny little incident” or something far more serious will depend on what customs officials decide to do next.
