Bernie Ecclestone would have been arrested this Monday at the Tires airfield, near Lisbon, after the discovery of a firearm that he allegedly transported illegally.. and this is not the first time!
Read more Pierre Gasly satisfied despite his fall from pole to seventh place in Monza
The former head of Formula 1, now aged 95, was reportedly stopped following a routine check, according to several Portuguese media outlets.
The incident reportedly occurred at the Tires airfield, located in the municipality of Cascais. Bernie Ecclestone had just landed there aboard his private jet when agents from the PSP, the Portuguese public security police responsible notably for on-site checks, discovered a weapon.
A precedent in Brazil in 2022
Local media describe it as a hunting rifle. The exact circumstances of its discovery and the conditions under which Ecclestone was carrying it remain to be clarified.
According to reported flight tracking data, a private jet from Saanen, Switzerland, landed in Cascais at 10:55. Ecclestone notably owns a chalet in this Swiss resort, estimated at around 23 million pounds sterling. His Dassault Falcon 7X (photo above) is valued at around 30 million pounds.
This would not be the first time that the former Formula 1 leader has had problems with authorities due to carrying a firearm. In May 2022, Ecclestone was already arrested in Brazil as he was about to board a private plane with a weapon he was carrying illegally.
A joke?
He later explained that he had kept this weapon at home and mainly used it to joke with his visitors: “I had it at home and sometimes played with it when people came to visit me. We joked with it,” he said.
Read more Scott McLaughlin (Penske) leads from start to finish, Kyle Kirkwood (Andretti) runner-up
This new alleged incident occurs while Ecclestone now has significant ties with the Cascais region. In April, it was reported that his wife, Fabiana Flosi, had purchased a property in the prestigious Quinta da Marinha neighborhood for about 35 million pounds sterling.
The Portuguese daily Correio da Manhã then presented the transaction as the largest private home sale ever made in Portugal. The acquisition was reportedly concluded in January after about six months of negotiations.
No official confirmation
Information regarding Ecclestone’s arrest is now being reported by several Portuguese media outlets, but the PSP has not yet officially commented on the matter.
It is therefore advisable to remain cautious regarding the precise circumstances of the incident, the exact nature of the weapon, and any possible legal consequences.
At this stage, the arrest of the former F1 boss is thus reported by the Portuguese press but has not yet been officially confirmed by authorities.
Read more Lewis Hamilton deplores a decision far too late by Ferrari: “This happens several weeks too late”