Vandoorne column: I won't be a part of F1's silly season

We had gone into the British Grand Prix mindful that with Silverstone being a power track, it might hurt us a bit. But, coming out of the weekend feeling disappointed we just missed out on points says a lot about the progress McLaren-Honda is making.

The weekend was pretty trouble-free and on genuine performance we were very close to top 10 pace. And in that region where we are, with the midfield times so close, all the details are very important to gain a little bit of laptime.

Practice had gone well and going into qualifying, the weather suddenly changed and it started raining – so we knew it would be a good opportunity to make some progress. Our car was performing well and every time we went out on track, we were able to put some good laps in, which was encouraging to see.

The conditions were not easy, with the rain moving over the circuit and the track gradually drying a little bit. We had a good Q1 (where Fernando Alonso actually went quickest when he switched to slicks right at the end), and in Q2 we were able to put some good laps in on dry tyres – which meant we got through to Q3.

Getting into the top 10 on the grid was maybe a little bit of a surprise for Silverstone, because it is one track with this new generation of cars that is much more power sensitive. But again, it must mean that our chassis is performing well in the high-speed corners if we could get right up there.

Things did not go perfectly in the race, although to be able to run so close to the Force Indias and the Williams at a circuit like this was really positive. And in the end, I only missed out on points because I lost a position in the stops.

After Silverstone there was not much time for rest as I was on duty for McLaren as we helped conduct a wet tyre test for Pirelli at Magny-Cours. Although we are not allowed to work on the car during these sessions, the fact that me managed to complete a lot of laps was good for me and the team.

The next stop on the calendar is Hungary, and Budapest should be another good opportunity for us to score points. I think you can describe the track layout as like Monaco without the walls – so it means a lot of corners. You need a good chassis and good downforce there, so I think hopefully we can be a bit more competitive.

As we head to the summer too, the heat is picking up with F1's annual silly season of driver movements, but as far as I am concerned I won't be getting that involved in it.

I have a long-term contract with McLaren and thing are going well. I don't see any problems to be with the team next year. I want to be with McLaren and I am working very hard with the engineers and the team to build on the future.

Making that effort now is important because I really want us to prepare as well as possible for the moment when we are properly competitive and fighting there at the front.