When terrible events strike, such as the accident that left Jules Bianchi with a severe head injury, it is customary to say they put trifles such as 'who won and how' into their true perspective.
This is true to an extent, and nothing now is more important that his treatment. But Bianchi's dedication to his very promising Formula 1 career proves that grand prix racing mattered hugely to him, enough to put his life on the line. So he would undoubtedly have appreciated the race-winning pass by Lewis Hamilton on Nico Rosberg had he been able to jump out of the car in parc ferme after the race and watch the replay.
No matter how horrifically it ended, even under the long shadow cast over it, the Japanese Grand Prix was still a gripping race and another potentially decisive moment in the world championship, not simply one of the mercifully dwindling number of days in which a driver's life was put in peril.