Former F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone was arrested for carrying an unloaded gun at Viracopos airport in Campinas, while heading to Switzerland in his private jet. Ecclestone, however, was shortly released on the bail after paying a hefty fine of $1,240.

A silver-colored LW Seecamp .32 gun was found during the X-ray screening. Ecclestone, who has been living in Brazil for quite some, accepted the ownership of the gun, and said that it came into his luggage without his knowledge. 

“An 89-year-old businessman was detained after federal policemen found a gun in his luggage on Wednesday around 9:30 p.m. in the X-ray area of the Viracopos airport in Campinas,” read the statement from the Sao Paulo security department.

Ecclestone ran Formula 1 for over four decades before a takeover by Liberty Media in 2017 ended his reign. 

“I’m proud of the business that I built over the past 40 years and all that I have achieved with Formula 1. I would like to thank all of the promoters, teams, sponsors and television companies that I have worked with,” stated Ecclestone, who is involved with motor racing since the 1950s, after being sacked.

Bernie Ecclestone was recently in the news for dismissing Lewis Hamilton’s efforts to increase diversity in the racing circuit. Hamilton too came forward and criticised Bernie for “sad and disappointing” comments.

“If someone who has run the sport for decades has such a lack of understanding of the deep-rooted issues we as black people deal with every day, how can we expect all the people who work under him to understand? It starts at the top,” added Hamilton.

Here’s how fans reacted to Ecclestone’s arrest in Brazil:

Featured Image Credit: F1 Twitter