Bernie Ecclestone Addresses Shotgun Incident at Portugal Airport

Bernie Ecclestone has dismissed claims he was arrested in Portugal after arriving with a shotgun, insisting the incident was no more than an airport misunderstanding over paperwork.

The 95-year-old former Formula 1 supremo landed at Tires Aerodrome in Cascais on Monday on a flight from Switzerland, intending to take part in a clay pigeon shooting competition. Waiting for him were four police officers and customs officials.

What followed was an hour of questions and checks.

"I was going to take part in a clay pigeon shooting competition in Portugal," Ecclestone told the Press Association, explaining that he approached officers on arrival. "I went to see the police and said, 'What can I do for you?' And they said, 'We would like some information on this gun you brought in'."

The British businessman said he had transported the same shotgun before, moving it from England to Switzerland without trouble, and expected a similarly smooth passage in Portugal. Staff at the airport, he noted, know him "very well".

This time, the rules bit harder. Ecclestone said he did not have the correct documents required to import the firearm and was told he would have to surrender it. The weapon was handed over, and the matter, from his perspective, ended there.

He was adamant on one point: he was not arrested.

Ecclestone, who ran Formula 1 for nearly four decades until 2017 and remains one of the sport’s most recognisable figures, described the Portuguese authorities as "very helpful" during the episode, framing it as a bureaucratic snag rather than a criminal drama.