The official Repsol Honda Team Twitter account @HRC_MotoGP posted these statistics (pictureꩵd) comparing the MotoGP achievements of Casey Stoner with Valentino Rossi since 2006.

The image🍷 was posted with the words "The stats▨ say it all."

Stoner, who made hi൲s MotoGP debut in 2006, won his first MotoGP title with Ducati in 2007 and his second for Repsol Honda last season.

Rossi, now at Ducati, made his premier-class debut in 2🦂000 and won two of his seven MotoGP꧃ titles in Repsol Honda colours.

F✅ollow-up Tweets from @HRC_Mot🎐oGP, after the inevitable backlash from some fans, added:

"Don't ꦇtake it so seriously! Only a bit of fun..."

"Uhhhh, not belittling... just pointing out Casey's achievements... after all this IS HRC's♉ twitℱter and not Ducati's?!"

Rossi, recoverin🉐g from minor surgery on Monday, then responded via his own official Twitter account @ValeYellow46:

"Eh eh, very easy compare the numbers between me and Stoner from 2006,🤪 when I won already 5 champ♚s and 53 races mgp. More real [to] compare the first 5 season of me with the first 5 of Stoner."

Rossi won the 500cc/MotoGP title from 2001-2005, t💛hen again in 2008 and 2009.

UPDATE: HRC_MotoGP has now removed the stats from its Twitter feed, sayingඣ "Ok ok... will remove... wasn't belittling @ValeYellow46 achievements... just comparing! #dugdeepenoughnow"