> but I just cannot get them to combine to find the background-red ANSI
> escape sequence **^[41m**

If you use `vim` to open this file, you will know it's not **^[41m**, instead it's **^[[41m**, which **^[** navigate by arrow key as a set:

[![enter image description here][2]][2]

`1b` is **Escape** represent by single escape character `^[` which can be invoked by <kbd>Ctrl</kbd>+<kbd>V</kbd> follow by <kbd>Esc</kbd>. `^[` look like 2 characters but it's not, it's single:

 xb@dnxb:~/Downloads/grep$ ascii 1b
 ASCII 1/11 is decimal 027, hex 1b, octal 033, bits 00011011: called ^[, ESC
 Official name: Escape
 
 xb@dnxb:~/Downloads/grep$

Do this (Use <kbd>Ctrl</kbd>+<kbd>V</kbd> follow by <kbd>Esc</kbd> to create `^[`, then continuously type `\[41m`):

 xb@dnxb:~/Downloads/grep$ hexdump -C /tmp/2
 00000000 1b 5b 33 37 6d 1b 5b 34 31 6d 30 2e 30 30 25 0a |.[37m.[41m0.00%.|
 00000010
 xb@dnxb:~/Downloads/grep$ \grep '^[\[41m' /tmp/2
 0.00%
 xb@dnxb:~/Downloads/grep$ \grep '^[\[41m' /tmp/2 | hexdump -C
 00000000 1b 5b 33 37 6d 1b 5b 34 31 6d 30 2e 30 30 25 0a |.[37m.[41m0.00%.|
 00000010
 xb@dnxb:~/Downloads/grep$ 

Ensure you escape grep by prefix `\` to avoid its alias `--color` affect:

[![enter image description here][1]][1]

**[Alternative]:**

 1. `\grep -P '\e\[41m'` (Credit: OP's comment)
 2. `\grep '^[\[41m'` , which use <kbd>Ctrl</kbd>+<kbd>V</kbd> follow by <kbd>Ctrl</kbd>+<kbd>[</kbd> to create `^[`. Useful when backspace in my keyboard is not 0x08, but i can use <kbd>Ctrl</kbd>+<kbd>V</kbd> follow by <kbd>Ctrl</kbd>+<kbd>H</kbd> (^H get from `ascii 08`) to produce it.

 [1]: https://i.sstatic.net/40NPx.png
 [2]: https://i.sstatic.net/pXf4n.png