Bernie Ecclestone, the 95-year-old former Formula 1 boss, was stopped and questioned by police and customs officials at the Tires Aerodrome in Cascais, Portugal, on Monday after arriving from Switzerland with a shotgun. Ecclestone stated he intended to use the firearm for a clay pigeon shooting competition.
He explained that he had to surrender the weapon because he did not possess the correct import documents for it. Ecclestone, who led Formula 1 for nearly four decades until 2017, described the Portuguese police as "very helpful" and denied reports that he had been arrested. He had previously transported the shotgun from England to Switzerland without issue and anticipated no problems, noting that airport officials know him well.
However, upon arrival in Portugal, he was questioned for about an hour and asked to relinquish the gun due to a lack of official import documentation. This incident marks a recurrence of airport-related issues for Ecclestone involving firearms. In 2022, he was arrested in Brazil for illegally carrying a gun while attempting to board a private plane, ultimately paying a fine of 6,000 Brazilian reals to local authorities.