Pit Stop | Jules Bianchi's death shows the flip side of all the Formula One glamour

As Formula One gears up for the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday, those in the sport will have more than the race on their minds.

It's less than a week since the death of Jules Bianchi. The 25-year-old had been in a coma since his crash at the Japanese Grand Prix last October. It became increasingly clear to his family in their bedside vigil that he wasn't going to recover from his devastating head injuries.

The Frenchman's funeral was held on Tuesday. Many of his colleagues were there, some drivers helping to carry the coffin. The Nice sunshine did nothing to hide the dark mood of those there. We may all love the glitz and glamour of motor racing, but this was the flip side of the coin.

In Hungary, Bianchi's life and achievements will be recognised. There will be a minute's silence before the race. The sport's governing body has decided to retire the number 17 that the Frenchman chose to adorn his car.

His death was the first race track fatality of a driver since Ayrton Senna's in 1994, and like Senna's death at Imola, Bianchi's accident heralded a raft of new measures to try and prevent a repeat of the incident. The virtual safety car was one response, as well as changes to the timing of races to prevent them ending in dangerously gloomy conditions.

Bianchi's death was a tragedy for his family. It also robbed F1 of a future superstar. Since his passing, there have not only been tributes to his skills, but also confident predictions that he would have been a world champion.

That perception was endorsed when Ferrari's former team president, Luca di Montezemolo, said they had plans for him at the Italian team. "He was the driver we had chosen for the future, once the collaboration with Kimi Raikkonen had finished", he said.