Well there is nothing special about them in regards to the fact if you enter F1 in recent years and don't become successful, you are soon in trouble. It's not like the 70s and 80s where any team could turn up for a few seasons at little cost, operating out of the back of a van. They were reported to be in poor financial standings before the pandemic, and like everything else, that only made it worse.
Earlier this year they were blunt in saying they didn't know if they'd make it to 2021 -
https://www.autoweek.com/racing/for...-year-is-the-least-of-our-problems-right-now/
Mazepin's money is the main thing propping them up and making that happen. Gene Haas isn't an idiot, as soon as he decides being in F1 is of no benefit, he'll pull the plug, and without the Mazepin money, that would surely be very soon.