Bernie Ecclestone was arrested at a Portuguese aerodrome for allegedly carrying a gun having previously been reprimanded for a similar incident back in 2020 but was released after paying bail15:22, 07 Sep 2026Updated 07:51, 08 Sep 2026Billionaire ex F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has reportedly been arrested at a Portuguese aerodrome for illegally carrying a shotgun.The 95-year-old is said to have been held at Tires Aerodrome in the municipality of Cascais close to Lisbon after landing there in his private jet.Airport police belonging to Portugal’s PSP force are understood to have made the arrest during a “routine operation.” The weapon Ecclestone was allegedly carrying has been described locally as a shotgun.And speaking to Daily Mail Sport, Ecclestone admitted he had travelled with the gun without the correct documentation and was held up for 'hours'. His wife Fabiana Flosi, 49, is now trying to rectify the situation.Ecclestone told the Daily Mail: 'I had a gun that I was bringing over from Switzerland to Portugal for clay-pigeon shooting. It's as simple as that. I have guns at home there that are licensed.Article continues below'We cleared customs on arriving here – I know the guys there – and they were fine with everything. No problems. Then a policeman afterwards asked to search the bag. It could have been [his six-year-old son] Ace's fishing tackle for all it looked like, but it wasn't.'They asked if I had a "blue book", which is apparently the documentation you need, and I told them I never travel with documents like that, any documents at all practically. They said they would arrest me, but after what seemed like hours, we sorted it out, but it has been wall-to-wall aggravation.'But it seems it can be put right. Fabi has gone to Lisbon to surrender the gun, or pay the tax or whatever you need to bring it in, or to hand it over in the end. I said I would go too but I didn't as it happened, and I am sitting at home waiting for it to be the situation to be put to bed.'One of sport's most flamboyant characters Ecclestone has opened up on raising both his 71-year-old daughter and six-year-old son. The 95-year-old has four children, with Deborah his oldest from his first marriage to Ivy Bamford.Tamara, 42, and Petra, 37, followed from second wife Slavica Radic. While he shares youngest kid Ace with Fabiana. Ecclestone told German newspaper Bild: “Ace is a wonderful boy. He’s bright, curious and interested in everything.”Wife Fabiana added: “It’s working very well. Bernie and I are a team and we’re raising Ace as a team. When I get a little impatient, Bernie explains to him in his usual calm and quiet way that he’s not allowed to watch TV for half an hour until he’s done his homework.”On juggling raising a six-year-old while being father to a 71-year-old, Ecclestone noted: “It’s quite something. You look at your oldest and youngest and realise how much has happened in between.”He has owned luxury properties in Britain and other countries throughout his career. He now spends much of his time in Gstaad, Switzerland. His daughter Tamara is a famous TV host, model and socialite who is particularly close to her dad.Last year he confirmed that he had sold his collection of 69 Formula 1 and Grand Prix cars to Mark Mateschitz, the son of late Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz. The final price was not disclosed the collection was valued at £500 million.The cars covered Formula 1 history dating back to the championship's inaugural 1950 season. They included vehicles associated with champions Alberto Ascari, Mike Hawthorn, Niki Lauda, Nelson Piquet and Michael Schumacher.Among the most famous cars were Lauda's Brabham BT46B "fan car," Ascari's 1951 Italian Grand Prix-winning Ferrari 375 F1 and the Ferrari Schumacher drove during his dominant 2002 championship season.Ecclestone saidthat finding an appropriate long-term home for the collection mattered more to him than simply accepting the highest offer. Mateschitz said the cars would be preserved and eventually displayed publicly.Article continues belowIn April it was reported Eccleston’s wife had bought a mansion in the prestigious resort area of Quinta da Marinha in Cascais for £35million. Respected Portuguese daily Correio da Manha described the deal at the time as the “largest private sale ever of a home” in the country.It said Brazilian Fabiana Flosi, 46 years younger than Ecclestone, agreed the purchase of the property around 15 miles west of Lisbon in January after negotiations lasting six months.There has not yet been any official comment from the PSP about today’s reported arrest which several Portuguese media outlets are now going public with.