diff --git a/test/e2e/gateway_single_spoke_test.go b/test/e2e/gateway_single_spoke_test.go
index 2d509e0e..ed323696 100644
--- a/test/e2e/gateway_single_spoke_test.go
+++ b/test/e2e/gateway_single_spoke_test.go
@@ -314,7 +314,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Gateway single target cluster", func() {
 								return false
 							}
 							return meta.IsStatusConditionTrue(dnsrecord.Status.Conditions, string(conditions.ConditionTypeReady))
-						}).WithTimeout(300 * time.Second).WithPolling(10 * time.Second).WithContext(ctx).Should(BeTrue())
+						}).WithTimeout(600 * time.Second).WithPolling(10 * time.Second).WithContext(ctx).Should(BeTrue())
 
 						// still need to wait some seconds to the dns server to actually start
 						// resolving the hostname
@@ -368,8 +368,9 @@ var _ = Describe("Gateway single target cluster", func() {
 						if gw.Spec.Listeners == nil {
 							gw.Spec.Listeners = []gatewayapiv1.Listener{}
 						}
+						patch := client.MergeFrom(gw.DeepCopy())
 						AddListener("wildcard", testHostnameWildcard, gatewayapiv1.ObjectName(testHostname), gw)
-						err = tconfig.HubClient().Update(ctx, gw)
+						err = tconfig.HubClient().Patch(ctx, gw, patch)
 						Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
 						Eventually(func(g Gomega, ctx SpecContext) {
 							checkGateway := &gatewayapiv1.Gateway{}
@@ -426,9 +427,10 @@ var _ = Describe("Gateway single target cluster", func() {
 						if gw.Spec.Listeners == nil {
 							gw.Spec.Listeners = []gatewayapiv1.Listener{}
 						}
+						patch := client.MergeFrom(gw.DeepCopy())
 						AddListener("other", testHostnameOther, gatewayapiv1.ObjectName(testHostnameOther), gw)
 						Eventually(func(g Gomega, ctx SpecContext) {
-							err = tconfig.HubClient().Update(ctx, gw)
+							err = tconfig.HubClient().Patch(ctx, gw, patch)
 							Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
 							checkGateway := &gatewayapiv1.Gateway{}
 							err = tconfig.HubClient().Get(ctx, client.ObjectKey{Name: testID, Namespace: tconfig.HubNamespace()}, checkGateway)
@@ -445,6 +447,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Gateway single target cluster", func() {
 						// remove the listener
 						err = tconfig.HubClient().Get(ctx, client.ObjectKey{Name: testID, Namespace: tconfig.HubNamespace()}, gw)
 						Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+						patch = client.MergeFrom(gw.DeepCopy())
 
 						if gw.Spec.Listeners == nil {
 							gw.Spec.Listeners = []gatewayapiv1.Listener{}
@@ -455,7 +458,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Gateway single target cluster", func() {
 								gw.Spec.Listeners = append(gw.Spec.Listeners[:i], gw.Spec.Listeners[i+1:]...)
 							}
 						}
-						err = tconfig.HubClient().Update(ctx, gw)
+						err = tconfig.HubClient().Patch(ctx, gw, patch)
 						Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
 						Eventually(func(g Gomega, ctx SpecContext) {
 							secret := &corev1.Secret{}