Christian Horner has revealed the unintended fallout from his comments about Ferrari after sparking a storm of speculation over the future of team principal Fred Vasseur.

The former Red Bull boss found himself at the centre of a paddock controversy after describing Ferrari as Formula 1's 'dream' destination, fuelling suggestions he could replace the under-pressure Frenchman.

Ferrari were subsequently forced to publicly reaffirm their support for Vasseur on an emergency media call, with Horner now admitting the timing of his remarks was 'unfortunate' and insisting he had never intended to put pressure on his former rival.

Horner reveals timeline of that Times interview

The former Red Bull team principal says the interview by The Times - which created massive global headlines - was done around a month before it actually ran. And when it did, it coincided with major tension swirling about the future of Vasseur.

He told The Race podcast: "The timing of it all was very unfortunate. I did an interview where they were serialising the book [Horner's memoir 'Drive' is released this week] with a very pleasant chap that was a big Lewis Hamilton fan. And he came and had a chat, and wasn't from the industry, but was a fan of the sport.

"And he was talking about different teams and so on, and we talked about Ferrari, and Ferrari is different to the other teams. Ferrari, you can see the way that drivers and people hold it in huge esteem and with huge respect.

"I was trying to be respectful to Ferrari and this interview was done about probably about a month in advance of when it actually came out. And it happened to coincide I think with some comments that were made around Monza or Madrid or whatever."

Horner on Ferrari fallout, and 'sorry for Fred'

Horner spoke in depth about what his comments were really meant to convey, and stressed he did not want or intend to put any pressure on Vasseur.

"And then suddenly, there was a headline that ran on this article that was talking about 'Ferrari's my dream'", he explained.

"And I never actually said that. I was trying to say that Ferrari has its unique place in the sport and anybody that works for that team would see it as a privilege. Particularly if they are Italian.

"Suddenly it turned into something that was actually not meant in any way to be putting any form of pressure on Fred. This headline, together with whatever was happening in their world with their drivers, created this bit of a storm.

"I felt sorry for Fred, because I've been at the front of a high-pressure team and know what's involved. It was a question of two and two coming together and adding up to six."