About a thousand people, including personalities from Formula One racing, attended on Thursday the funeral of Swiss driver Clay Regazzoni, who died last week.

Clay Regazzoni's coffin leaves the Lugano basilica after his funeral. Former Formula One racing driver Regazzoni, who died in a car accident in northern Italy last week, was laid to rest in Switzerland following a funeral service attended by motor racing legends. [AFP]

Regazzoni, aged 67, was killed on December 15 in a collision with a truck in a motorway accident near the northern Italian city of Parma.

Among those who attended the funeral in Lugano, Regazzoni's hometown, were drivers Jackie Stewart, Emerson Fittipaldi and Niki Lauda, as well as the former boss of Switzerland's Sauber racing stable, Peter Sauber.

Stewart told Swiss television that it had been marvellous to race against Regazzoni. He had been a wonderful person with humour and good for the sport of motor racing.

After the funeral, also attended by local authorities, Regazzoni was laid to rest in the family vault in the cemetery of the village of Porza, above Lugano.

More than 40 Lugano politicians are supporting a motion for a street or square to be named after Regazzoni, who was born in the southern Swiss city.

Regazzoni was paralyzed after suffering spinal damage in the United States Grand Prix West in Long Beach in 1980. Afterwards he was confined to a wheelchair.

He enjoyed the high points of his Grand Prix career with the Williams and Ferrari teams. The Swiss gave Williams their first Grand Prix victory in Britain in 1979 and won four races for the Italian team.