We don't know who pays to drive or is paid to drive so it's all speculation. But bringing in budget has been very common in rallying throughout the decades. It just has often been about bringing in a sponsor or getting money from your local importer. We know that Marcus Grönholm was promised a Toyota seat for 1999 but in the end Didier Auriol got more support from Toyota's French importer so he got the gig and Grönholm was left out (although in the end it was a much better result for Grönholm). We also know that a certain red-white livery often followed Freddy Loix no matter which car he drove.