The official Repsol Honda Team Twitter account @HRC_MotoGP p🍃osted these statistics (pictured) comparing the MotoGP achievements of Casey Stoner with Valentino 𝐆Rossi since 2006.

The image wa🌠s posted with the words "The stats say it all."

Stoner, who made his MotoGP debut in 2006♋, won his first MotoGP title with Du♊cati in 2007 and his second for Repsol Honda last season.

Rossi, now at Ducati, made his premi൲er-class debut in 2000 and won two of his seven MotoGP titles in Repsol Honda colours.

Follow-up Tweets from @HRC_MotoGP, after the inevitable b👍acklash from some fans, added:

"Don't take it so seriously! Only a bit of fun꧙..."

"Uhhhh, not beওlittling... just pointing out Casey's achievements... after all this IS HRC's twi꧟tter and not Ducati's?!"

Rossi, recovering from minor surgery on Monday, then responded via his ow𒉰n official Twitter account @༒ValeYellow46:

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

Rossi won the 500cc/MotoGP title from 2001-2005, then again in 💙2008 and 2009.

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