It's attractive to the manufacturers. F1 is stupendously expensive, so manufacturers want to get maximum bang for their buck in terms of marketing. Trickle-down technology is a major marketing hook, particularly for McLaren and Ferrari. Both companies introduced KERS- and DRS-inspired systems on their road cars when they were added to the F1 rules.

This is much clearer in other racing formulae, where the cars being raced may be modified versions of commercially-available road cars. Audi, Subaru and Mitsubishi built their reputation for performance almost entirely off the back of the World Rally Championship.