Police arrested Mr Ecclestone, who was later released on bail of R $ 6,060 (approximately £ 1,000). According to the police report, he was then able to freely board his flight to Switzerland, but law enforcement says they will continue to investigate the incident.
Mr. Ecclestone had been in Brazil since early May, where he visited a number of motor racing events in the state of São Paulo.
He also visited the capital Brasília to attend the inauguration ceremony of the remodeling of the Nelson Piquet Autodrome racing circuit. Mr. Piquet won the Formula One World Championship twice in the 1980s while driving for Mr. Brabham’s racing team. Ecclestone.
The 91-year-old regularly spends time in the country with his Brazilian-born wife, Fabiana Flosi Ecclestone, and his one-year-old son, Ace. Ms. Ecclestone is the current South American Vice President of the Governing Body for Motor Sport FIA.
The couple has owned a 500-acre coffee farm in the city of São Paulo de Amparo since 2012, where they make and sell their Celebrity Coffee brand.