JENSON BUTTON was in a reflective mood after he again missed out on a podium finish at the British Grand Prix.

Having struggled for an uncompetitive McLaren for much of the season, the 34-year-old came within a second of sealing his first-ever top three finish at Silverstone at his 15th attempt.

McLaren boss Ron Dennis had told Button he needed to ‘try harder’ and he responded by qualifying third on Saturday in a session affected by rain.

After an enthralling race, 0.8 seconds was all that separated Button from the third-placed Daniel Ricciardo as he ran out of laps having reeled in the Red Bull.

But, on an emotional weekend for Button - who was sporting a pink helmet to commemorate the memory of his father who passed away in January - he felt he got everything he could out of the car.

“P4 is not so bad,” Button said. “I think we should be happy with the weekend we have had. We definitely needed it as a team. It has been a tough old year - just like last year, really.

“It is nice to get this result because high-speed circuits are not our forte really - no circuits are, but high-speed are more difficult for us.

“Today we did a good job and we have a load of information to look at for the next few races.”