Apart from Lotos don't think he has many funds, he is just very rich, this is form his F1 days, I suspect him raising the full throttle from insurance after his crash.
Yes you get screwed if you pay cash to M-Sport and the team decides to witch car the money goes to...If you pay the top price for parts you suddenly are a very important customer and gets proirity treatment. And with own team you are independent and able to choose own engineer and tyre supplier, both are crucial for a good season apart from finishing the rally.