Returning to the BTCC for the upcoming season, the young Scot will also reunite with a car he last drove in 2023. The Glaswegian took his best result in the BTCC driving the CUPRA at his home event of Knockhill before his 2024 sabbatical.

"It's nice to come back," said Patterson. "I spent a year out and it's definitely a good opportunity to get back on the grid and see what we can do. [Signing the contract] Only really got finalised last weekend, pretty recent, but it's been in the pipeline for a little while.

“I've got a bit of experience in the CUPRA. It'll be a little bit different this time round with some changes and some updates so hopefully that'll be good.

"I've only driven one day at Donington at the end of the year, just to get my eye back into front-wheel drive because I've been in a rear-wheel drive all year. Getting back in it's a little bit alien for three laps and by then eventually you get used to it.

"We've got the TOCA days so there's a couple testing days there. Then hopefully try to get a couple in before that, just to get back in and get settled with the car, and run through setups, and what my preference is when I am in the car.

"The hybrid is all that I knew because I came in during the first year of the cycle. I'm excited to see what it'll be like, but just need to wait and see until I'm in the car and driving it, and then I'll get a proper judge of it.

"Now that I've had two seasons and I know what the championship's about, I can just sort of push forward and do what I want to do. But ideally, it's just to try and get the maximum out of the car and to try and get some podiums during the season and whatever comes with it.

"I just met him [Max Hall, team-mate] this morning so everything's a little bit new. A lot of the boys that I'll be working with this year I worked with previously so it'll be nice to work with some familiar faces, whilst with some new people as well."