F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has 'got his gun back' after firearm causes legal issues

F1 News & Gossip

F1 supremo has 'got his gun back' after firearm causes legal issues

Well, that's...good?

Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Wednesday 30 September 2026 13:57

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Bernie Ecclestone has been reunited with the gun he was forced to surrender to Portuguese authorities earlier this month.

The former F1 supremo was questioned by police at Tires Aerodrome in early September after he was found to lack the proper documentation for the shotgun he entered the country with, although he insisted that at no point was he arrested.

Ecclestone said at the time that he was in the country for a clay pigeon shooting tournament, hence the gun, but had to sign paperwork to hand over the weapon, and sent his wife Fabiana an hour away to Lisbon to formally surrender it.

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However, the Mail report that the Ecclestones have been reunited with the shotgun, with the situation 'resolved amicably through talks with the authorities in Portugal', with the 95-year-old adding: "It’s all been sorted and there is no problem; there never was any problem at all, really."

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Ecclestone explains gun mixup at Portuguese airport

The controversial magnate said at the time that 'people wanted to make a story out of nothing' when early reports about the incident emerged, insisting that contrary to what some were saying, he was at no point arrested.

“I had a gun for clay pigeon shooting and, when we landed, customs were very interested," he said, "because I had a gun and they wanted to see the paperwork so they called the police.

“Then the police showed up and said it was nothing to do with them because everything was above board. It was all overblown and a massive cock-up. People wanted to make a story out of nothing.”

Not Ecclestone's first airport gun confusion

This was the second time in the last few years that Ecclestone found himself in hot water at an airport over a firearm, being questioned by Brazilian police after a handgun was 'mistakenly' packed in his luggage.

“Brazil was a different thing altogether,” he said after this month's incident.

“One of the mechanics from one of the racing teams brought a gun from America and said I should have it in Brazil as I am there all the time and it is dangerous.

“When we were leaving, somebody in the house packed the gun, thinking it was for packing, in the suitcase. We went all through this business at the airport over the bloody gun, but it was all nothing. It was an evening’s work for the people, so they were happy.”

F1 Bernie Ecclestone