Step 1 :The standard form of a quadratic function is \(f(x) = ax^2 + bx + c\).
Step 2 :To find the standard form of the given function, we need to expand the square and simplify the equation.
Step 3 :Let's expand \((x - 4)^2\) to get \(x^2 - 8x + 16\).
Step 4 :Substitute this into the function to get \(f(x) = - (x^2 - 8x + 16) + 2\).
Step 5 :Simplify this to get \(f(x) = -x^2 + 8x - 14\).
Step 6 :\(\boxed{f(x) = -x^2 + 8x - 14}\) is the standard form of the function.