sport news Sportsmail goes behind the scenes as Formula E heads to Berlin to see the ...

Alberto Longo is desperate to show somebody his photographs.

The deputy chief of Formula E is sitting behind the 'Team and Crew' tent at Berlin's mothballed Tempelhof airport, showing Sportsmail pictures of himself on the red carpet in Cannes the night before.

'The Cannes festival was amazing,' he beams.

'What an experience. Look at this. It was so impressive. I've never seen so many journalists in my life. It was like five thousand guys there, five thousand guys there, I mean it was unbelievable.

'There's Leonardo di Caprio, Orlando Bloom. It was super cool.'

Formula E's new documentary 'And We Go Green', produced by Leonardo di Caprio, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival

Formula E's new documentary 'And We Go Green', produced by Leonardo di Caprio, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival

Di Caprio, one of Formula E's shareholders, was the man behind Longo's midweek trip to the French Riviera.

The legendary actor has produced a new documentary about the sport, named 'And We Go Green', which was given its world premiere at the spiritual home of the film industry last month.

The documentary, like Formula One's Netflix drama 'Drive to Survive', will cover the 2017-18 season, following how the sport negotiates elite racing with its environmental core.

It's mere creation is symbolic of Formula E's phenomenal rise to prominence

The film will showcase the 2017-18 season of Formula E, documenting how it balances its green ethos with competitive racing

The film will showcase the 2017-18 season of Formula E, documenting how it balances its green ethos with competitive racing

Sportsmail went behind the scenes at the BMW i Berlin ePrix, the tenth race in the calendar, to see the sport in action

Sportsmail went behind the scenes at the BMW i Berlin ePrix, the tenth race in the calendar, to see the sport in action

Formula E rolled into the German capital for the tenth E-Prix of the season with the bullishness of a gambler who knows he's got the bookies' number on Friday.

And it's no surprise.

Their growth, in the space of five series, has been linear. Last season, more than 450,000 spectators - double that of the previous year - turned up to street circuits across some of the world's biggest cities including Rome, New York and Paris. In Berlin, tickets sold out for the race in two days.

Next year, FE will become the first motorsport series to host all four of Germany's big manufacturers - BMW, Audi, Porsche, and Formula One heavyweights Mercedes. There are suggestions that Fernando Alonso might consider joining the driver ranks next year too.

'If someone told me five years ago that we would have nine mega brands involved in the Championship after only five seasons, I would have thought the guy was crazy,' adds Longo.

'But the truth is that, the world has turned to electric, today, and electric mobility is what they're all looking for and all investing for. We are the platform to showcase their new technology.'

The tenth round of Formula E's fifth season was held in the Germany's capital city, Berlin, at the defunct Tempelhof airport

The tenth round of Formula E's fifth season was held in the Germany's capital city, Berlin, at the defunct Tempelhof airport

Thousands of fans flocked to the old airport to catch a glimpse of the increasingly popular all-electric car racing series

Thousands of fans flocked to the old airport to catch a glimpse of the increasingly popular all-electric car racing series 

An old Troop Carrier was left on the concrete surface of the airfield at Tempelhof, around which the circuit meandered

An old Troop Carrier was left on the concrete surface of the airfield at Tempelhof, around which the circuit meandered

Arriving at Tempelhof, fans are overwhelmed by innovation.

Formula E is an all-electric motorsport series that puts the environment, and cleaning up the image of the car industry, front and centre.

Efficiency encompasses everything. All cars are freighted together to reduce air miles. Drivers are restricted to two sets of all-weather tyres for the entire weekend. The series aims to be carbon neutral.

It's a sport that sees itself with a moral responsibility, and everyone has to buy into it.

'We are ambassadors for green technology when travel to all these major cities,' Stoffel Vandoorne, HWA Racelab driver, tells Sportsmail.

Stoffel Vandoorne, an F1 driver and current racer for HWA Racelab, believes drivers are ambassadors for green technology

Stoffel Vandoorne, an F1 driver and current racer for HWA Racelab, believes drivers are ambassadors for green technology

Vandoorne (R) stays ahead of his rivals as he fights his corner during the Berlin ePrix for HWA Racelab during the Berlin ePrix

Vandoorne (R) stays ahead of his rivals as he fights his corner during the Berlin ePrix for HWA Racelab during the Berlin ePrix 

Green technology is at the heart of Formula E and that was clearly shown by the Green Tech Festival hosted behind the circuit

Green technology is at the heart of Formula E and that was clearly shown by the Green Tech Festival hosted behind the circuit

The enormous, gaping hangars were transformed into a showroom of future technology including futuristic flying taxis

The enormous, gaping hangars were transformed into a showroom of future technology including futuristic flying taxis

The Green Tech Festival was founded by former F1 World Champion Nico Rosberg (L) who was in Berlin for the race

The Green Tech Festival was founded by former F1 World Champion Nico Rosberg (L) who was in Berlin for the race

'Then there's massive interest in this championship from sustainability companies, manufacturers, because the world is simply going in this direction.'

Major manufacturers are desperate to be associated with greener technology and it's easy to see why. At Templehof, beneath the vast, mile-long hangar that drapes over the airfield, Nico Rosberg's Green Tech Festival provided the backdrop to the race. It showcased a glimpse of the future, displaying everything from flying electric taxis to eco-clothing.

'The company is moving to heavy electrification, so the two go hand-in-hand', says Audi Abt Schaeffler team principal Allan McNish. The German manufacturer won on home soil last year with a one-two finish, a huge public relations boost following the German emissions scandal, where major manufacturers were found to have misled inspectors over car emissions. It crushed public trust in the automotive industry.

'With the festival being here, it brings a different group of people in, and it's not just cars and car racing, it's bringing a whole load of other things into it and the story becomes a lot bigger.

'As a result, we're able to say, 'this is the direction we're going, this how we think the future's going to be', and in that I think it's a positive story for us.'

Allan McNish, the team principal of Audi Abt Schaeffler, acknowledged the importance of green tech for manufacturers

Allan McNish, the team principal of Audi Abt Schaeffler, acknowledged the importance of green tech for manufacturers

Next season, Porsche and Mercedes will join the paddock meaning 10 out of 12 of the teams will be major car manufacturers

Next season, Porsche and Mercedes will join the paddock meaning 10 out of 12 of the teams will be major car manufacturers

Innovation is at the heart of Formula E and it does not stop with green technology. It wants to be different, and attracting new audiences is at the heart of that.

Interaction is key. On the track, 'Fan boost' offers drivers five seconds of extra power for those who collect the most votes from the public. Off it, e-Gaming races give the public the chance to race on simulators directly against their driving heroes. At Berlin, there was even 'ghost racing', which allows the public to compete against the drivers on the track in real time through a simulator.

'We have very clear as a target. We need to attract younger generations to motor sport,' says Longo

'Other Championships are forgetting about that, their audiences are getting older and older every year.

'Young people today are the most difficult people to engage, because they are all on the internet. So we want to become more digital every year. To keep being attractive for younger generations.'

Alberto Longo (centre, left) tells Sportsmail about Formula E's impressive growth and the sport's plans for the future

Alberto Longo (centre, left) tells Sportsmail about Formula E's impressive growth and the sport's plans for the future

Longo emphasised the need to appeal to newer, younger audiences which FE achieves through its on-site e-village

Longo emphasised the need to appeal to newer, younger audiences which FE achieves through its on-site e-village

The green racing and off-track innovations do not hinder the sporting spectacle which has shown to be frenetic and intense

The green racing and off-track innovations do not hinder the sporting spectacle which has shown to be frenetic and intense

The emphasis on innovation does not, however, detract from the sport itself.

In fact, its competitive nature is one way in which comparisons to F1 are a moot point.

Heading into Berlin, after nine rounds of racing, there was still few clues as to who would win the championship this season. Reigning champion Jean-Eric Vergne of the sport's leading team DS Techeetah, led the way by a single point ahead of team-mate Andre Lotterer.

But while Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes saunter towards perennial titles, in FE, only 28 points separated first from sixth, following a season that has seen eight winners from the first nine races. With three more circuits to go after Berlin - including a double-header in New York - everything is still to play for.

The reason the competition is so tight is in part due to its format. Drivers have two practice sessions, before do-or-die qualifying.

They head out in groups of six and five, based on Championship position. The first group are the leaders, which puts them at a disadvantage due to the untested track surface. They have one out-lap, one warm-up lap, then a fast lap. The top six fastest will go again in 'super pole' to decide top spot. But that's all the time they get on track.

In the Panasonic Jaguar team garage, Kiwi driver Mitch Evans, who still has a shot at the title in sixth, heads out in the second group.

Panasonic Jaguar welcomed Sportsmail into their garage to get a behind-the-scenes look at how the team operates

Panasonic Jaguar welcomed Sportsmail into their garage to get a behind-the-scenes look at how the team operates

Formula E teams are only entitled to two sets of all-weather Michelin tyres per driver per weekend to reduce waste

Formula E teams are only entitled to two sets of all-weather Michelin tyres per driver per weekend to reduce waste

Driver Mitch Evans (centre) discusses with his team ahead of his critical qualifying lap for Jaguar on Saturday morning

Driver Mitch Evans (centre) discusses with his team ahead of his critical qualifying lap for Jaguar on Saturday morning

Qualifying involves one out lap, one warm-up lap and one fast lap, making it a highly pressurised part of the weekend

Qualifying involves one out lap, one warm-up lap and one fast lap, making it a highly pressurised part of the weekend 

'It's very tricky, none of the engineers will be speaking with Mitch when he's on track, the pressure is too great,' Jaguar's Amanda Stretton tells Sportsmail, as silence descends, and the pre-race buzz quietens.

Lotterer, a German racer and one of the favourites, fluffed his qualifying lap by failing to complete it in time from group one. Has an opportunity

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