diff --git a/templates/flavors/flatcar-sysext/kustomization.yaml b/templates/flavors/flatcar-sysext/kustomization.yaml
index a78b566b99e..a26944d4e43 100644
--- a/templates/flavors/flatcar-sysext/kustomization.yaml
+++ b/templates/flavors/flatcar-sysext/kustomization.yaml
@@ -4,6 +4,6 @@ resources:
   - machine-deployment.yaml
   - ../../azure-cluster-identity
 
-patchesStrategicMerge:
-  - patches/kubeadm-controlplane.yaml
-  - ../../azure-cluster-identity/azurecluster-identity-ref.yaml
+patches:
+  - path: patches/kubeadm-controlplane.yaml
+  - path: ../../azure-cluster-identity/azurecluster-identity-ref.yaml
diff --git a/templates/test/ci/prow-flatcar-sysext/kustomization.yaml b/templates/test/ci/prow-flatcar-sysext/kustomization.yaml
index 581093b33cf..dffc22dae75 100644
--- a/templates/test/ci/prow-flatcar-sysext/kustomization.yaml
+++ b/templates/test/ci/prow-flatcar-sysext/kustomization.yaml
@@ -6,8 +6,8 @@ resources:
   - ../../../addons/cluster-api-helm/calico.yaml
   - ../../../addons/cluster-api-helm/azuredisk-csi-driver.yaml
   - ../../../addons/cluster-api-helm/cloud-provider-azure-flatcar-sysext.yaml
-patchesStrategicMerge:
-  - ../patches/tags.yaml
-  - ../patches/controller-manager.yaml
-  - ../patches/cluster-label-calico.yaml
-  - ../patches/cluster-label-cloud-provider-azure-flatcar-sysext.yaml
+patches:
+  - path: ../patches/tags.yaml
+  - path: ../patches/controller-manager.yaml
+  - path: ../patches/cluster-label-calico.yaml
+  - path: ../patches/cluster-label-cloud-provider-azure-flatcar-sysext.yaml