Formula 1: Bernie Ecclestone was arrested in Brazil for gun possession

Bernie Ecclestone wanted to get on a private jet to fly to Switzerland. When he tried to go through the airport baggage check on Wednesday evening (May 25), the suitcase scanning system showed the existence of an LW Seecamp pistol. The pistol was empty and the Briton had no bullets in his pack.

The authorities then arrested the 91-year-old and took him to the airport police station. According to the civil police, Ecclestone paid a bail of 1,177 euros there and was then released to fly to Switzerland.

Ecclestone admitted the gun was his property. He said he kept it at his farm in Brazil for security reasons, but didn’t know he had it in his luggage and therefore didn’t have the necessary legal documents with him.

After losing control of Formula 1 in 2017 and selling the commercial rights to the sport to American Liberty Media, Ecclestone retired from the sport, which he had completely reformed over the past three decades. In his 70 years of involvement in global motorsport, Burnie has made a fortune that Forbes magazine now estimates at $3 billion.

Since 2017, the Brit has been spending most of his time with his wife Fabiana on his farm in Brazil – and is often present at car races in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

He even recently met with Nelson Pique to mark the launch of a new circuit to be named after the three-time F1 World Champion. Pique had won two of those titles with Brabham, which Ecclestone owned in the 1980s.