Verstappen takes pole
McLaren and Red Bull are fighting for both constructors’ championships and drivers’ titles, with Brown’s team leading the constructors’ standings by 41 points and Horner’s ahead in the drivers’, with Max Verstappen 52 points clear of Lando Norris.
Verstappen qualified on pole for Saturday’s sprint race in Austin.
There have been suggestions from some teams that such a device might allow the car’s ride height to be adjusted between qualifying and the race, which would be illegal but produce a performance advantage.
“I think there has been a bit of moaning from one of our rivals, and it is the FIA’s job to look into these things,” Horner told Sky Sports television.
“It is on a list of open-source components so it has been publicly available for the last three years. The FIA are happy with it. I think it’s just to satisfy some paranoia elsewhere in the paddock.
“If you think that there’s some kind of handbrake or lever that the drivers can activate with a low, medium or high setting, I’m really sorry to disappoint you. There isn’t.”
McLaren’s Brown accepted that drivers would physically be unable to adjust the ride height from within the cockpit.
“Our questions are a bit more around what has maybe historically happened in understanding if it’s been used in an inappropriate manner,” he said.
Red Bull have won the last two constructors’ championships, including the most dominant season on record last year, and the last three drivers’ titles with Verstappen.
McLaren were in the spotlight at the last race in Singapore when questions were raised about their rear wing.