Mercedes and Ferrari have chosen differing tyre strategies for the second round of the 2016 Formula 1 season in Bahrain.

With Pirelli now supplying three dry-weather compounds per weekend, teams are given more freedom to choose which tyres to run.

For the Bahrain Grand Prix on April 3, Mercedes has opted to give both Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg just one set of the hardest medium-compound tyres, taking six sets each of the soft and super-soft.

Ferrari, meanwhile, has given Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen three sets of mediums, just four sets of the softs and six sets of super-softs.

The new-for-2016 rules played a part in the outcome of the season-opening Australian GP, with Rosberg using one of his two sets of mediums and Hamilton his only set in the race to switch strategies and leapfrog race leader Vettel after the Ferrari driver chose to stick with super-softs following a mid-race red flag, forcing him to make another pitstop later on.

The only other drivers to opt for a single set of medium tyres for Bahrain are Renault's Kevin Magnussen and Jolyon Palmer, Toro Rosso's Max Verstappen, and Haas driver Esteban Gutierrez.

Verstappen has also selected the most sets of soft tyres, choosing seven, while Williams, Renault and Haas have gone for seven sets of super-softs for their drivers.

BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX SLICK TYRE CHOICES