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And it's not like this "screws" Audi Sport in any way if/when they come back. They already had their 2017 car almost ready to test, the ACO declared rules stability under the technical regs until at least 2020, Ullrich probably has advised Gass to keep an ear and eye cocked at the WEC to keep apprised of developments, and I doubt in reality that Audi gives a damn about cost saving waivers. Even during dieselgate, they (and Porsche) were ready and willing to spend as much as it took to compete--provided that they had a chance of winning if they designed the fastest car.
That's why Audi Sport shelved the LMP1 program for the time being at least, and why others have been slow or hesitant to join in. ROI is pretty low when you have the fastest car and the tech regs play a part in why you're not winning as often as you should be, as well as limiting interesting paths on the powertrain end to go down in the near future.
Other car makers may bulk at the cost, but when you have one's that not as hesitant to pay to play, the rules have to be interesting to keep them in.
Not to mention that most of the ACO's cost cutting rules are basically mirroring those of F1 and NASCAR that haven't saved most teams a penny and if anything in the end jack up costs due to diminishing returns and having to devote more resources to get them.
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